A Path Unsure
by SaitouLover
Summary: Saitou's arrival upset Sano and he couldn't care less. But as Sano's month long absence, mysterious men from the his past and a rapist whose victims resemble Sano draw Saitou's attention, both men are swept up in something that they'd rather not be in.
1. Chapter 1

"That isn't the point!" Sano screamed. He glared at Saitou with tears forming at the corner of his eyes. "I thought you were dead you bastard. Don't you have any kindness in you?"

"Kindness?" Saitou scoffed. "You're being an idiot."

"Just fucking stop it! Alright! Just stop! By kindness I meant, didn't you care that we all thought that you were dead? Didn't you care even in the slightest that we would care if you died?"

Saitou raised an eyebrow. "Ahou."

Sano balled his fists up in an effort to stay in control. "We fought beside each other. Even if it was for only a day, we still fought beside each other, man. Don't you care about that?"

"No." Saitou turned around and started to walk away. He heard a roar of anger and mentally braced for the idiot's attack; which never came. He rounded the corner and cast looked to where Sano had been standing, only to find is empty. Saitou shrugged and walked on. He had more important things to do today than to baby sit that idiot. So what if they had fought side beside each other? It wasn't if the ahou could actually hit Saitou in a fight, let alone become his equal and therefore demand respect from him.

Saitou's steps halted for a moment. The ahou was a creature of habit, ruled by his emotions. When he was happy the world could see that stupid grin of his. He laughed when happy, growled when confused, and caused property damage when angry. The ahou's favorite pass time it seemed was to try to provoke Saitou and then attempt and fail, might he add, to win a fight with him. He never missed a chance and that was an ideal opportunity a moment ago. Saitou could clearly tell that the ahou was beyond pissed. So, why had he not attacked? Why had he simply walked away? A point of medial interest Saitou had to admit.

Still, Saitou had business to attend to. He had cases to work on and maybe if he was fortunate enough, he would invoke justice onto the corrupt politician that he was tracking. Saitou smirked, all thoughts of Sano out of his mind. He walked on down the street nodding to passersby and smiling that unnerving smile of his. He turned down an alleyway that lead to the police station. He had a lot of work to do and he was looking forward to Aku Soku Zan.

The night had progressed as usual for Sano; a few drinks, a few wagers that he, as usual lost, followed by more sake to drown his bad luck, only to lose more money gambling. The newest streak of losses would then be drowned in more sake and then the gambling would start again. That process, Sano thought, would likely be happening several times tonight.

Sano plopped down on a cushion in a new gambling hall that was outside his neighborhood. He had never been to it before so they might be willing to open a tab for him. So with that in mind he had dragged himself into it and had ordered a large sake. As he waited for the alcohol to arrive, he fumed about the meeting with Saitou earlier that day. He was pissed that the bastard had shown up out of the blue, without word of his survival, and hurt when the realization that Saitou thought so little of him and had no respect for him what so ever, sunk in.

So when the sake, along with a small cup, was placed on the table in front of him by a young waitress, Sano eagerly stared pouring. He was pissed and hurt and in his opinion, he hated that combination. His plan: drink himself into oblivion, until he wouldn't even remember his own name and, hopefully, the effects would remain permanent. Over the next hours Sano had almost succeeded in his plan until a familiar voice was heard over the multitude of drunken swears and shouting, over the rolling of the die, over the pounding in his ears, and over the sake clouding his brain.

"Hey, rooster head! Long time no see. What you doin' here?" Sano tilted his head upwards. Chou's hair was still reaching the impossible heights it normally did. He was dressed in regular street clothes, Sano noted through his clouded mind, and had a grin on his face saying he was looking for trouble with Sano. The drunken young man looked back down at his sake glass with disdain. He swirled the remains in the cup and then lifted the glass to his lips. He swallowed and the customary burning feeling to the alcohol slid down his throat.

"Rooster? What's wrong? You don't seem you stupid cheerful self." Chou said with a hint of worry.

"Jus' go away will ya'?" Sano grumbled. "I don't wanna talk to ya' alright?" he looked at the far wall. "I don' wanna talk to anyone righ' now."

Chou raised both eyebrows. "Wow, the eternally and annoyingly cheerful Sagara Sanosuke ain't so cheerful."

Sano growled. "Jus' go away."

"Nope. Don't suppose I will." And with that, Chou sat down with a plop. Sano grumbled incoherently and went back to drinking, never once meeting Chou's face.

Chou looked Sano over. He noticed that the other man had grown some; maybe an inch. Though that wasn't the only difference. The fighter-for-higher had a look of weariness about him now that shouldn't have been there. There were dark circles under his eyes and his face seemed to be in a permanent frown. The rooster head hadn't smiled once since Chou walked in, and that was over half an hour ago.

He had strolled into the illegal gambling hall in order to scope out its layout for the bust that was going to happen later that night. He had been inside for only a minute or two when he had spotted the rooster head in the far corner by himself, drinking. Chou had backed up and stood leaning against a wall, deciding to watch the idiot until he noticed his presence. But after half an hour of watching the rooster head drown himself in sake, he realized his presence wasn't going to be noticed.

He knew something was wrong with the younger man. The rooster was known in the slums for the constant smile on his face and his ability to bounce back quickly. If he was angry he broke something, and then went back to smiling good-naturedly. But the rooster hadn't smiled the whole time Chou watched; he never came close. Not even when the young and good-looking waitress had flirted with him, pushing her lovely bosom against Sano's shoulder as she set a new bottle on the table. Chou would be the last to admit it, but he was kind of worried about the guy.

Chou shook himself out of the memory and watched Sano from over the drunk's glass. The young man was frowning and was clearly trying to knock himself out, not a good thing to do when local pimps gambled away a few tables over. He watched as Sano poured the last of the bottle into the cup and downed in it in one gulp.

"Why are you doing this to yourself?" Chou asked the question before he could stop its escape from his mouth.

Sano answered the question with stubborn silence and after a minute or two asked one of his own.

"Why are you here? Don't you have some girl to chase after, or someone to annoy that's not me?"

Chou chuckled. "Nope! I've chased after every tail worth chasin' after and I only annoy you buddy boy."

Sano growled.

"To tell you the truth, I'm here on a mission." Chou continued placing his head on his right hand. Sano looked up at him through fogged over eyes. "You see, the police want to raid this place and I'm doing recon for the boss."

"The boss? You mean Saitou?" Saitou's name came out sounding like something disgusting found under a shoe. Chou inwardly raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, he sent me instead of coming himself."

Sano scoffed. "Typical."

"Man! What's with you?"

Sano didn't answer and both men lapsed into silence. It seemed an eternity when Sano broke the silence.

"I'm not trash. I'm not something someone can use and throw away. I deserve respect just like anybody else. Just because I may not be as strong doesn't mean I'm worthless."

Chou listened with dawning realization. It seemed that the rooster head had seen Saitou already. Now that Chou thought about it, Saitou was one of the only people that could get Sano riled up and then destroy everything about the guy's self-esteem like it was nothing but a loose clump of dirt.

The rooster, by now, was ordering another bottle of sake and Chou sensed a certain presence behind them. He turned around and, sure enough, in the back corner of the room in the shadows was Saitou, watching them with a cool glare. Chou stood up and looked back at his friend.

"See ya' later, rooster head." he gave a cheerful wave.

"Yeah, Yeah." was all Sano said to Chou's departure.

Chou wadded across the room and slunk up to Saitou and he frowned slightly as his employer continued to stare at Sano.

"Man, you sure do a number on someone's self-esteem." Chou's statement was met with a glare. "Jeeze! Can't take a joke." Chou looked over at Sano. "Do you want me to drag him out of here or are you going to arrest him like all the others?" He turned back to Saitou.

Saitou glanced over at Sano's table and glowered. "Leave, Chou. I'll take care of the ahou."

"Um, are you sure? I'm not sure Himora would appreciate hearing that his rooster headed friend was murdered."

Saitou's look was enough to send Chou scurrying out of the gambling hall as fast as he could travel.

Saitou turned his attention back to the ahou. The kid was sitting at a table in the back corner of the hall, away from everyone else. Saitou had been standing in the shadows for a good while watching as Chou tried to talk to the boy, and watched as he failed. The boy had been ignoring Chou the whole time. Even when Chou tried to bait him into a fight, the rooster just ignored him. Saitou glared. The ahou could be such a child. The kid was bothered by every little thing it seemed. He was naïve. He allowed his emotions to rule him. He bonded with anyone who showed him an ounce of interest, and he would continuously open himself up to the pain and hurt that he could have avoided. Saitou sighed and walked over to the table to stand in front of the boy, watching him with irritation.

Sano, even through his sake induced fog, knew when Saitou walked up. He was hoping that it was just the sake making him see things, but that hope was dashed when Saitou spoke up.

"Ahou. You can knock yourself out that way." Sano downed another glass of the burning liquid. He mumbled while looking down at the empty cup.

"Hope so." Saitou rolled his eyes.

"You can kill yourself that way."

"It's not like anyone would care."

Saitou narrowed his eyes and looked over at the table to his left. "Ahou."

"Yeah, that's right. Call me an idiot. That's all I'm good for apparently." Saitou raised his eyebrow. "I mean, Megumi didn't even notice I had been gone for a whole friggin' month, Kenshin didn't say anything to me, and all the girly had to say was no mooching off her."

Saitou looked back at the kid. Did he just say he was gone a whole month? Saitou hadn't noticed. True, he noticed there were fewer drunken brawls over the past four weeks, but he hadn't known that the ahou was absent from Tokyo completely. Still, it wasn't his business. Sano continued in a drunken slur.

"And you." He stopped and didn't continue. Sano poured another glass of sake. Saitou glared at him; the kid was clearly upset about something that Saitou had said.

"Ahou."

"Is all that you can say? Ahou this and ahou that." Sano looked to his right hoping Saitou would take that as a hint to leave him alone. No such luck. Saitou continued to stand there. After minutes of silence the older man grew impatient.

"Boy, you're being childish." He watched the ahou for some sign of aggravation but the kid didn't bat an eyelash. "You're sulking around here just because of something I said."

Sano had had enough. He slammed the empty cup down on the table and stood up. Waves of dizziness washed over him. He wavered and managed to collect what precious little balance he had left and wobbled past Saitou as he made his way to the door. Half way there, however, he felt a hand latch onto his wrist and felt himself being pulled down to the ground.

Sanosuke found himself on the lap of a gambler and even through the haze of alcohol, he knew that the lap he was in belonged to a local pimp. The guy had scraggly brown hair and rat eyes and was currently smiling at him with yellowed teeth.

"Hey." He said and Sano smelled bad breath and foul cigarette.

The alcohol he had imbibed in the past few hours made him feel heavy and so all he could do was watch as the pimp's mouth descended towards his. But before he was kissed, he was violently wrenched from the man's grasp. Sano was only allowed a second to gain his balance before he was shoved towards the door.

Saitou pushed the idiot away from the crowd and glared at the man. Normally he wouldn't have interfered but the man that had grabbed the ahou was a known criminal and it wouldn't do to have the boy associate with him. The man's whores usually wound up dead in a gutter somewhere in the poorest districts of Tokyo. He could never find enough proof that it was the pimp that killed his own prostitutes and it rankled him that he wasn't allowed to arrest him. He kicked the table the man was at spitefully and no one dared to do anything other than grumble as the police officer shoved the brunette out the door.

Once outside Sano turned around to thank his rescuer but once he saw that it had been Saitou, he glared. He turned back around and walked away unsteadily. He was upset that his plan had not gone the way it should have. He should have drunk himself stupid, alone, until he wasn't able to remember anything and then when he stumbled home to his roach infested apartment, crashed into deep sleep till morning. He had been planning the evening all day and broom-head and the bastard Saitou just had to go and ruin it. He stumbled a little and righted himself, grasping the wall of a building as he continued on.

Saitou watched the show of stupidity with growing curiosity. He was slightly confused as to why the ahou was not trying to attack him... he wasn't even growling. The boy was simply ignoring him. Saitou looked on as the ahou stumbled and caught himself. As he pressed on, despite his growing inability to walk, Saitou decided that he'd had enough. He casually walked up to the boy and slipped an arm over his shoulder for support.

"Hey man! Leave me alone!"

"You're going to pass out on the street ahou."

"So? I don't give a crap and I'm sure you don't either."

"Hn."

"Man, just, just leave me alone."

"No."

"Stop it!" Sano managed to break away from Saitou. He lost his balanced and careened backwards into the wall of a nearby apartment. He landed against it and glared at Saitou, an alcohol induced blush staining his face even in the dark. "Why do you fucking care? Why are you fucking playing with my fucking mind?"

Saitou looked at the pathetic young man and shook his head. "You know, you're wasting your life like this. You could accomplish so much if you only try. Instead you drink yourself into oblivion."

"Yeah, well, it works for me."

Saitou moved with such speed that Sano could not avoid the blow that landed on his cheek.

"You're stupid! You don't care about the others and you certainly don't care about yourself!"

"The others? Of course I care about them man."

"You don't act like it when you get drunk and disappear for months on end."

"Hey! What I do is none of your goddamn business!"

"I don't know why but they consider you a part of their family. Himora cares about you."

"Yeah well, that's debatable." With that Sano stood straight and started walking again, Saitou starting after him with long determined strides.

"You know, if you hadn't been taken in by Sagara you wouldn't have turned out like this." He accused coldly causing Sano to jerk to an unsteady halt. His hands balled up into fists and he ground his teeth.

"Sagara did what was best for me and Katsu. He saved me from death."

"And after that? Because of his actions and subsequent death, he forced you to grow up fighting and poor. You had no one, ahou. You were a child and alone. You grew up hating government, hating the authority that could make you into something worth wile."

"No." Sano hissed coldly. "I don't hate government. Just the Meji and their fucking hypocrisy, reminds me of you, actually. And you're right. When Captain Sagara died I was all alone, but even though I had nothing and I grew up fighting, if it weren't for Adam I'd be dead." Sano balled fists shook with the fury pulsing through him and it took all he had to start walking away from the man that brought every childhood wound back up.

Saitou watched as Sano made his way towards his home. The last words the boy had spoken ran through Saitou's mind. What did that mean? Saitou had read the boy's file before he left him as a message to Himura. Nowhere in that file did the name Adam pop up. Adam, that was an English name. It appeared the kid had a few secrets that no one knew about. Hmm, interesting indeed. It seemed that Saitou had another little mystery to solve.

An hour later and Saitou found himself walking through one of the numerous poor districts of Tokyo. He had turned the corner and had just passed an ally when a slumped figure registered in Saitou's line of vision. He stopped and went back to the alley. Sure enough, there was the ahou slumped against the wall and it made Saitou roll his eyes. He was now faced with a dilemma. He could leave the idiot out here in the night and run the risk of him getting killed by thieves or he could drag the idiot back to wherever it was the boy lived. After many moments of wavering, he decided to escort him back to the hellhole the kid called home. As he approached, the boy stirred. He looked up at Saitou and sighed, defeated.

"Man, I just can't get rid of you, can I?"

"Hn. Get up. You're polluting the streets."

"Ha, in case you haven't noticed, they're already polluted."

"Hn."

"Why are you here?"

"Though it's none of your business, I'm walking home."

Sano raised an eyebrow. "You live around here?"

"No. I live in the district up the street."

"Oh. It must be nice. That's a nice district up there." Sano turned to Saitou. "You must be makin' a lot of money to live there."

"And why would that be?"

"Because those places have to go for hundreds of thousands of Yen."

It was Saitou's turn to raise an eyebrow. "And how would you know that?"

Sano looked sheepishly away. He shrugged. "I dunno. I kind of have experience with pricy things."

Saitou scoffed. "I doubt it."

Sano shrugged again. "Believe what you want man."

Silence passed over them for the hundredth time that night. The stars shown above and Sano watched them twinkle. Saitou observed Sano for a minute before asking a question he was wondering about.

"Where were you this past month?" Sano broke his gaze from the stars and looked Saitou in the eyes. He searched for anything that would hint oncoming ridicule, and when he found none, he answered quietly.

"I was visiting my family." The silence after that drunken confession was intense and Sano looked Saitou straight in the eye. He staggered up and walked off down the alley and before Saitou could follow him, he was gone.

Saitou stood alone replaying what the ahou had just told him. Visiting my family, indeed. Saitou looked up at the stars and thought, the boy has more secrets than anyone realized.

Sano sat at a table in the restaurant the next day contemplating how horribly he had messed up the night before. He had told Saitou that he had been visiting his family. He was so stupid! No one was supposed to know that. No one was supposed to know that he had an actual family. Adam told him to be careful. Adam... Sano was sure he had mentioned Adam as well. Well, the man wasn't going to be happy when he found out. Sano had spent the past nine and a half years guarding the secret of his family and he had blown it last night; to Saitou of all people.

Sano dropped his head on his hand. He was in so much trouble. What if Saitou figured it out? What if he figured out who Adam was?

Sano groaned and shook his head. Man, he was in so much trouble. Saitou was sure to figure it out. Saitou wasn't stupid and he certainly wasn't blind like Kenshin. Sano looked out the window. The older man was undoubtedly going through the conversation and picking it apart piece by piece. He was probably running through other conversations they'd had and was picking up on whatever clues Sano had stupidly dropped.

Across town, Saitou was doing just that. He had free time and with nothing to do, his thoughts traveled back to the ahou and the strange conversation they'd had. The kid had said he was visiting his family for the month he was gone. But that didn't make sense. Saitou had read the kid's file. He had no family. He was orphaned and taken in by Sagara, and at the age of 12, orphaned again. Sagara and his men were slaughtered because of the government's need for a scapegoat. The kid and his friend, the bomb expert, were left on their own to fend for themselves. It didn't make any sense. How could he have family?

Saitou turned in his chair to gaze out the window onto the busy street before him. Women and children were passing by and occasionally a man with a little child on his shoulders. Saitou ground out the cigarette he was smoking and turned his attention to the file on his desk; the ahou's folder. He drummed his fingers on top of it and contemplated the kid's behavior last night. What was it that he had said? 'I kind of have experience with pricy things.' Saitou reflected on that . The boy claimed to know about expensive houses. But how? He had been right last night. The houses in that neighborhood could be, and often were, sold for hundreds of thousands of Yen. And then there was a conversation they had before they fought Shishio. The boy was eavesdropping on Saitou and Himora as they spoke about Enji. Saitou told Himora that the boy was being taken care of and Himora had asked where he was. Saitou had told him in English that the boy was in a boarding school, assuming the red-haired idiot could understand him. Himora looked confused and asked to translate. Saitou sighed but before he could respond, the kid had relayed what he'd said. Saitou had looked at the boy in curiosity and a look of panic crossed the boy's face. When Himora had asked how he had known that, the ahou had mumbled about 'just guessing.'

Saitou's eyes narrowed. He was so stupid. The kid clearly understood and maybe even spoke English. English. Hadn't the boy said a name last night? 'A' something, an English name. Alex, Abraham, Adam? Yes, that was it Adam. The ahou had said Adam. Something about if it wasn't for Adam. The way he spoke about the man, it gave Saitou the opinion that this man and the kid weren't related. But it was clear he was one of the people the ahou was visiting. So, what did that mean?

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Saitou said. He placed the folder in a drawer in his desk. Chou entered. He had a grim look on his face.

"Sorry boss. But it looks like you've another case; it's a dozy." He handed over the file to Saitou. Saitou opened it and narrowed his eyes. It was a rape. He looked up at Chou. Chou spoke gravely. "It's not the first time, Boss. So far there are six. Everyone a young man." Saitou looked down at the file. "Here's a picture of the last victim." Chou said handing over a picture, watching Saitou's reaction closely.

Saitou took the photo and he had to fight the widening of his eyes. The victim looked almost like the ahou. The facial structure was the same. Saitou looked at Chou. Chou answered Saitou silent question.

"He had brown hair and eyes. Looked a lot like someone we know?" Saitou nodded.

"But this isn't the ahou. What about the other five, Chou?"

Chou looked away. Saitou had his answer. The others also looked like the ahou. Brown hair and eyes, tall and lean, well built. Saitou looked down at the picture again. The resemblance was uncanny. Saitou studied the picture. He wondered about the rapist. Was he targeting people with these characteristics randomly or did he a certain person in mind? An image of the ahou grinning swam into Saitou's mind. He shook it away. He turned his attention to Chou.

"Any witnesses?"

"Nope. The attacks happened late at night, in abandoned area in the poor districts, and they were strangled so no one heard any screaming. If there was any." Saitou raised an eyebrow. Chou continued. "The victims were bound and gagged so they couldn't scream loudly. The sick fuck knows what he's doing, boss."

"That may be, but he'll mess up sooner or later and then we'll capture him and then," Saitou smirked evilly. "Aku Soku Zan."

"Damn straight." Saitou looked up. "I mean, he deserves it."

"Hn."

"So, what's the plan of attack?"

"Send out the word for people to avoid going out at night. We don't want anyone else attacked."

"Right!"

"And then go around recruiting officers that match this description." Saitou held up the photograph. "We're going to put bait out for this sick-son-of-a-bitch."

"Right. Um, how are we going to get them to volunteer? I mean they would be risking their lives. I mean more than usual."

Saitou thought for a moment. "Offer them double pay. And to any officer who helps capture this psycho," Saitou thought carefully. "triple pay."

Chou whistled. Triple pay? Things must be bad. Chou noticed Saitou looking back at the picture. Saitou had been surprised when he had seen the victim. That Chou noticed. He had hidden the shock well but for an instant, Chou had seen the emotion so foreign to the man in front of him. Chou turned and left the room. He now had the proof to back up his theory. Saitou Hajime felt something for the rooster head. It was clear to him now. The way he had reacted to the photo, last night at the gambling hall, and even back before Shishio. Saitou had always looked after the block head, in his own way of course. He smirked, goaded, and pummeled the kid until the kid realized that Saitou was right, and by doing that, kept the kid out of harm's way. Saitou had protected the kid more times than he knew, or even Himora knew. Especially after the Shishio incident. Shady characters came into Tokyo all the time, but the number doubled since they caught word of Sano's victory. They either wanted a piece of him, his service as a fighter for hire, or his body.

It was common knowledge that anywhere and everywhere the rooster head went, heads turned. He was attractive and the blockhead didn't even know it. He had no idea that he probably was what made people's fantasies. Sanosuke Sagara was one of the most attractive men Chou had ever seen. Of course that didn't make Chou gay. Chou was a woman's man. He stood by what he said to the rooster head last night. He had chased after every woman worth chasing after. But that didn't make him blind. Chou knew that a few of the police officers thought that the rooster head was hot and they said so when they thought that no one was around. Sano was clueless really. And sometimes, that was the worst thing.

Chou turned the corner. His mind went back to the picture. The poor kid looked just like the rooster head. They were about the same build. They had the same eyes and hair. Chou stopped. He was sure that Sano was going to be in trouble. Sano wasn't the type to hide. He was the type of person to draw attention to himself even when he didn't mean to and even when he didn't know it. This sick fuck was bound to spot the kid sooner or later. Saitou was sure of it also. Chou knew it from the boss's reaction to the case.

Chou heard voices coming his way. He started walking again. He was going to have to keep an eye on the rooster head; possibly both.

The breeze was cool and refreshing as it caressed Sano's face. The vendors called out the sales for the day. Crab, fish, tofu, kimonos, silk, pearls, and other items up for sale.

"PEARLS! PEARLS FOR SALE. THE BEST PEARLS FOR ONLY 200 YEN!"

"Really! That seems a bit much." A woman's polite voice made its way into Sano's ear. He stopped and turned. A young woman in a lavender kimono stood at the pearl seller's stand. An older man with brown hair stood beside her looking at other jewels. The seller was holding up the cream colored jewels of the sea. The young lady gasped. "They're lovely."

"200 yen lady."

Sano walked closer. He caught sight of the necklace and narrowed his eyes.

"Well, I guess,"

"Don't waste your money." Sano spoke up glaring at the vendor.

"What? Get lost kid! You don't know what you're talking about." The man spit out harshly, turning to smile tightly at the woman.

Sano turned to the young land. "They're fake. I may not look like much but I know fake jewels when I see them."

The woman looked from Sano to the man then back to Sano. She gave him a small smile and turned back to the vendor and glared. She turned around and walked off, and Sano gave the vendor a "that's what you get" look and walked off.

Sano never felt someone's gaze on him as he made his way down the street.

He made his way down the street towards his goal. He stopped at the door and had lifted his hand towards the handle when the wooden barrier was opened from the other side. Sagara Sanosuke stood there, ready to leave. The brown eyes widened at the obstacle in the doorway and Sano yelped as he lost his balance in surprise and fell backwards onto the ground. Kenshin, hearing the commotion from the side yard came around the corner and glared as he saw just who it was that stood at the door.

"Saitou." Thinly veiled contempt laced the red-head's voice.

"Himora." Saitou controlled his dislike of the shorter swordsman. He looked on as Kenshin crossed the yard to stand beside a rising Sano.

"What are you doing here? Your visit is a surprise, that it is." Saitou felt the familiar urge to twitch at Himora's ending. He absolutely loathed how the other would finish his sentences like that.

"I came to warn you, a rapist has emerged. So avoid going out at night until the police catch whoever is responsible."

Kenshin's eyes widened slightly and he felt genuine surprise at Saitou's willingness to warn them. "Yes, of course. Thank you, Saitou. I'll warn Kaoru-dono, that I will."

"That wasn't who I was referring to. All the victims so far have been male."

Both the other men looked suitably horrified, and with that the police officer turned around to walk off. However, he stopped after a step or so and turned back to look at the still open doorway. Sano stuck his head out the door shortly afterwards, making sure he had left, and gasped when he saw Saitou still there. The brown mop of hair was pulled back and the door slammed closed and Saitou nodded once before resuming leaving. There was paperwork he needed to finish and a murderer on the loose.


	2. Chapter 2

Night found Saitou at his desk, writing silently. Dying and deceased cigarette butts littered the ashtray that sat on the upper left hand corner of the mahogany desk he had in his office. Saitou had found that after several hours of fruitless searching and annoying paperwork, smoking helped calm his nerves and allowed his mind to gain control of the raging thoughts coursing through his skull.

He had been at the desk for at least seven hours trying to find a break in the case. After he left Himora's he came back to the police station. He poured over file after file hoping for anything that would lead to a suspect. He found nothing. The monster was thorough. He never left anything that could lead the police to him, not a hair, piece of clothing, nothing. Saitou looked over at the picture for what had to be the hundredth time that night. The boy's name was Hanazawa Domyoji. He had been 18, engaged, and murdered last night. His body was found in the Sengoku district. He had been gagged, bound, raped, and strangled. The boy died a slow and agonizing death.

Saitou, unconsciously, ran his finger over the boy's face. He looked so much like the ahou it was unnerving. He looked back to the case file of the Hanazawa boy. The doctor's report was sitting on top. He reread a portion of it. _Signs of rape are present: ripped anal muscles, bleeding from the rectum and anus, est. _Saitou sighed. The boy's body had been brutalized. The rapist had shown no sign of mercy. Saitou sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. For the seemingly tenth time that night he imagined the crime taking place.

_The boy had been caught off guard. The rapist grabbed his arms and pinned him against the wall. He stuffed a rag into his mouth to prevent audible screaming. He dragged the boy to the ground and tied his hands with rope. His clothes were torn off and he was slightly beaten. The rapist then took his time brutalizing the boy; raping him several times before finally ending his life by strangulation. But even then, he had not shown mercy. The boy had been strangled till he almost lost consciousness and then allowed to breathe. He was then strangled again. This procedure occurred a number of times before he was finally allowed to die._

Saitou sighed. He didn't want to think about the attack beyond what was necessary. He didn't want to get attached. If he formed an attachment then it could cause problems down the line. There was nothing he could do for the families of the dead victims. All he could do was to try to stop the bastard before he killed again. Saitou looked over at the picture again. So much like the ahou.

Sano sighed as he lay on his back staring at the ceiling. Kenshin had insisted that Sano stay the night after Saitou had left. He wasn't a child. He could handle himself. He was Zanza wasn't he? Sano rolled over and groaned. It had to be past midnight. The house around him was heavy with slumber and the quietness was driving Sano insane. He hated staying still for so long. He was usually out with his friends drinking and gambling right about now. Sano closed his eyes and sighed again. He rolled onto his side. He opened his eyes. The door stood in his line of view. It would be so easy just to get up and walk out of this room. Sano closed his eyes again. But what would that do? Kenshin was probably sitting up and if he was he wouldn't let him leave. He would want Sano to stay until morning so he could make sure Sano was all right. And even if Kenshin was asleep and he managed to make it out into the street, Sano was sure that there had to be police out. Saitou was apparently in charge of this case and Sano had a feeling that Saitou would use any means necessary to catch the psycho responsible. The police probably had orders to arrest any man out at night by himself. Sano grumbled to himself. It looked as though he wasn't going anywhere tonight. Still, he hated to just lie around doing nothing.

Sano slowly and quietly got to his feet and made his way to the bedroom door. He slid it open and walked down the hall to the kitchen. He opened the door and stepped into the darkness. The door closed behind him so that none of the others would be woken by the light. Sano stumbled around until he found candles and matched. In moments he had enough light to see where he was going and what he was doing. Sano put on a kettle of water and in minutes he had tea. Sano sighed as he drew the aroma into him and smiled contentedly. He refilled his glass and stood. He slid the door that led to the outside open and stepped out onto the wooden floor and looked up at the moon. Sano sighed again and closed his eyes. He held the warm tea cup to his forehead. Times like these were what kept Sano going. The simplicity of silence and being alone at certain points of time were good for people. Everyone needed time to think, time to be alone with ones self. People had too many conflicting thoughts and emotions. Individuals needed to be able to sort them out. If not, Sano was sure they would be driven insane by them.

Sano opened his eyes. The white moon and stars filled his vision and were etched into his mind. He took a sip from his cup. A slight breeze blew in the night. Sano pulled his jacket around him and turned his face into the wind. A brief movement in the shadows drew Sanosuke's attention. He turned his head to where the movement came from and stared into the darkness. After a minute or so he narrowed his eyes and walked back inside the kitchen.

Sano slid the door closed and rested his head against the paper and listened for noises outside.

"Sanosuke" Sano jumped and spun around. Kenshin stood in the door frame watching him with a puzzled look. "Are you alright?"

Sano put on a strained smile. "Yeah, Kenshin, I'm fine. You just startled me. That's all."

"Oh, well I'm sorry, that I am."

"Yeah, well, it's okay." Sano walked over to the sink and set the cup down. He turned around and looked at Kenshin. Kenshin had always been Sano's idol. After they first met and Sano fought him as Zanza, Sano had felt an attachment form between them. It wasn't anything romantic, not at all; more along the lines of being a connection between brothers. Kenshin had always been someone who inspired others. Well, a few people excluded. And while he was thing along those lines,

"Kenshin?"

"Yes, Sano?" Kenshin asked while sitting down at the table.

"I was wonderin'" Sano took the seat across from him.

"Yes." Kenshin looked Sano in the eyes.

"You didn't seem overly surprised when you saw Saitou today." The accusation hung silently in the air between the two. Kenshin sighed.

"Yes, Sano, I knew that he was alive." Sano's eyes widened.

"Why? Why didn't you tell me?"

"What would that have done?" Kenshin asked Sano seriously. "How would you knowing have helped the situation? Saitou didn't want any contact with any of us. I only found out by accident."

"Kenshin," Sano started but then stopped. He stood and looked Kenshin straight in the eye. "We fought side by side. We were comrades, allies," he paused. "friends. Why do you think that I wouldn't want to know that he was alive? That he was alright." Sano shook his head slowly. "You know, even after all you've preached about how different you and Saitou are you two are pretty much the same."

Silence hung in the air. Sano stood and walked to the door. He placed his hand of the frame when Kenshin laid his hand upon Sano's.

"That is not fair Sano that it is not." Anger was in Kenshin's eyes.

"No, Kenshin, it's not fair." He turned to meet Kenshin's stare. "It's not fair at all." Sano pulled his hand away and walked out the outside door instead.

"Sano!" Kenshin called after him. "Please, come back."

"No Kenshin." Sano continued walking to the main gate. "I'll see you around."  
"Sano!" Kenshin was right behind him now. "Come back inside." It was not a request. "It is not safe out here right now that it is not."

Sano stopped. He turned. Kenshin took an involuntary step back from the rage in Sanosuke's eyes.

"Don't you ever get tired of being superior to others Kenshin? You're so much stronger and faster than everyone else that we all just follow your lead and do as you say; no hesitation, no questions asked. I'm tired of it. I'm tired of all of this. All I want to do I go home. I'm not allowed to do even that!" Sano took a deep breathe to calm down. The little missy would get upset if the neighbors complained. Kenshin's eyes softened.

"Sano, I understand. But it's not safe out…"

"Stop it!" Sano yelled. "I know that! I am not some stupid little child that can't make its own choices! I'm tired of you making my choices for me!"

"Sano," Kenshin started trying to calm the youth down. "I do not make choices for you." Sano stared at Kenshin coolly.

"You left me behind when you went to Kyoto. You tried to leave me behind at the Aoi-ya. You chose a revolutionist free life for me. No major choice of mine is made by me alone. Either you make it for me or you help me make it. I am tired of it Kenshin. And I see no way of being free of it!" Sano finished with an anguished cry. Kenshin watched Sano for a moment.

"I had no idea you felt this way. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you would have tried to fix things whether I wanted you to or not." Sanosuke turned around and walked out the door. "See you later Kenshin." And Sano was gone.

Chou was out on patrol for the third hour in a row when he heard him coming. He hid in the shadows ready to pounce of the guy. He grinned to himself. Any guy stupid enough to be out this late must be guilty of something. Chou watched impatiently as the figure came into view. His rolled his eyes when he saw that it was only the rooster head.

"Hey rooster head. Didn't anyone teach you that it's not safe to be walkin' alone at night with a rapist on the loose?"

Sano stopped and turned to where the voice emanated from the shadows.

"Go to hell, broom head." With that, Sano continued to walk down the street. Chou glared at the back of the kid's head when he felt someone was watching. Not only that, but it moved with the kid. It stopped when the rooster head had stopped and started when he had. Chou's eye narrowed. He quickly caught up to the kid.

"What do you want now?" Sano asked roughly clenching his fists. Chou noticed.  
"Rough day or just unhappy to be in my wonderful company?" Chou asked all the while keeping track of the presence following them.

"Jus' leave me alone. I had a fight with Kenshin. Okay?" Sano ground out. Chou whistled.

"Never would have thought that you would get into it with Himora."

"Yeah well, there's a first time for everything." Sano said bitterly and stopped.

Chou was forced to stop as well. He watched as Sano looked straight ahead into the darkness.

"Hey Chou?"

"Yeah, what is it?" Chou silently wished for Sano to start walking again. The presence didn't stop when they had. It was still closing in.

"Does he think I'm stupid that I wouldn't notice?" Chou was taken aback. The presence stopped and then in an instant vanished.

"What do ya' mean, rooster head?" Chou asked quietly. Sano turned to Chou.

"Does Kenshin think I'm too stupid to realize that he's been making the most important choices of my life for me?" Chou inwardly sighed. The rooster head hadn't noticed the person following them after all.

"I don't know." Sano contemplated awhile and shrugged.

"It doesn't matter." He started walking. "At least it won't soon."

Chou looked at Sano's receding back. "What do you mean by that?"

Sano shrugged and continued walking. Soon the darkness swallowed him whole and he was gone. Chou didn't sense the person anywhere nearby. If that person following them was the rapist, his plans had been foiled for that night.

Or so he thought.

Saitou sat at his desk the next morning rubbing his temples and puffing cigarette smoke out of the corner of his mouth. Chou was sitting across from his desk with a shocked look on his face. Saitou looked at the new addition to the case file.

"He was killed last night around three o'clock." Saitou turned the page. "Same technique as the other rape/murders. Gagged, bound, raped, strangled."

Chou stared at the picture of the body in horror. The boy was barley 16. He looked up at Saitou.

"What kind of person would do this?" Saitou didn't answer. His gaze was held by the door to his office. "He's the youngest so far; barely a young man."

Saitou looked at the boy's information that the family had given the police. It seemed that the boy had been in love with jewelry. He collected it as a hobby. Pearls were his specialty, strange. Saitou took the picture and looked at it again. The rapist had broken from tradition though. The victim looked nothing like the others. If any thing, the boy looked like a girl. A petite and delicate frame, long, thick hair, and an over all girlish look to his face. If he had been in a woman's kimono, Saitou was sure he would have taken him for a woman.

Saitou sighed.

"There's not much we can do right now, Chou. Just sit and wait."

Anger flashed across Chou's face but he only nodded. He rose from the chair to leave the office but stopped when he opened the door.

"Hey, boss?" Saitou sighed again.

"What is it now, Chou?"

"Nothin'." Chou closed the door behind him.

He slowly walked to his desk and sat down. The kid's body was dumped only a few streets down from where the rooster lived. Chou thought for a moment. If he was correct in his directions, the rooster took that street all the time.

Shit! If the rooster had been any later he would have run into the rapist. Wait. Chou stopped right there. Who says he didn't. He didn't walk the rooster home. What if, what if he didn't make it home?!

Chou bolted from his seat and out the door. He ran past Saitou's window and his mad dash caught the older man's attention.

Saitou narrowed his eyes. Where was the broom head running off to in such a hurry? He looked back at the file. His eyes widened slightly. The body was found only streets from the ahou's apartment. Saitou didn't entertain any more thoughts along those lines. He simply got up and walked calmly out the door. The carriage he took to get the where he needed to go nearly ran a dozen people down though.

By the time both men reached the scene it was covered with police and onlookers alike. Chou had taken one look at the body and past it running at full speed. He ran until his lungs could not take it anymore and he finally had to stop a mere 10 feet from Sanosuke's apartment. He approached it after a short and necessary break for breath.

The door was closed and locked when Chou tried to open it. He knocked on it in hope of getting a response.

"Rooster head?" he called out. "Sano?!" He received no response. "Sanosuke! It's Chou. Open up!" He heard nothing inside the apartment. Chou's heart beat faster in his chest. Where was he? Did he make it home? Or had he been caught by the…

Chou heard it before he saw it. He heard the wheels of a carriage and though he suspected who it was he did not hope that the man was there for the same reason he was. He turned back to the apartment and the carriage pulled to a halt and the tall, annoyed man stepped out.

Saitou stepped down and looked around. He immediately saw Chou pounding on the door of what was apparently the ahou's apartment. He took in the surroundings. This was one of the poorest areas of Tokyo and it showed. The buildings were extremely run down and a few even appeared to collapse at any given moment. He silently wondered how people could stand to live like this. He thought the rooster head had better sense than this. Saitou thought he had more pride than this.

He walked up the Chou and when Chou either failed to realize or ignored his presence, Saitou coughed. Chou stopped and turned around. He had a look on his face that Saitou had never seen before on him; guilt.

"Boss, he's not here! The rooster isn't here!" Chou silently pleaded for Saitou's help. Saitou raised an eyebrow.

"And why are you so worried?" Saitou was proud of the fact that he managed to keep all emotion from his voice.

"Because! He could have run into that sick bastard!"

"and why do you think that, Chou?" Saitou asked genuinely curious. It appeared to Saitou that a small struggle took place inside Chou at that moment. Chou looked away from Saitou face and sighed. He spoke up.

"Last night I ran into him coming back from Himora's. apparently they got into it for some reason. I don't know. Anyway, it was really late and after a while we separated and he went home." Chou was leaving something out.

"And?" Saitou's eyes bore into Chou until Chou finally caved and gave the full answer.

"There was someone following us. He stopped whenever we stopped and I could tell that he had been following the rooster even before we had met up."

As each word was spoken a sense of dread gripped Saitou's heart. Someone had been following the ahou? Saitou ran through what he had heard again.

Chou watched as Saitou walked up to Sano's door and knocked once.

"Ahou, open up, now." Saitou waited 15 seconds before he kicked in the door. Chou stepped back in astonishment as Saitou easily broke open the door and stepped inside the dingy building. When they both were inside Saitou turned to Chou.

"Look for anything that might suggest he spent the night here." Chou nodded. Both men spread out, Saitou took the left side while Chou, the right. Saitou slowly walked from one side of the room to the other. The room was sparse to say the least. It barely counted as a bedroom. The futon was what made it an apartment. There was neither table to eat or sit at nor any chairs. There was no personality what-so-ever to the place. The walls were plain and dirty, the floor was practically compacted dirt. Saitou glanced at Chou from the corner of his left eye. He could tell that Chou was thinking along the same lines. Saitou turned back to what he was doing. He stopped as his eyes fell upon a box partially buried under revolutionist papers from that bomb friend of his. He ignored the fact that the papers were illegal. He kicked them aside and picked up the box. It was of light weight and oak wood. He contemplated opening it but decided against it. It wasn't his and although he had broken into the ahou's apartment to find him or clues to his whereabouts, he doubted that they would be in a box. He turned around to Chou who had finished up his part of the room. Chou looked at Saitou and shook his head. The ahou had not been there. Saitou would be the last person to admit it, but he was slightly worried about the boy. He was the perfect target for the rapist. What if that bastard had met up with the boy last night?

An ahem was heard and both men turned to the door way. A police officer stood there with an overconfident look on his face.

"Sirs, can I help you?" The police officer was looking at Chou. "You know you're breaking and entering, though I doubt it was worth it."

Saitou took in the police officer and immediately disliked him. "No, you can not help us." At that Saitou turned back around and dismissed the officer with a cold air of disdain. The officer glared at him.

"Who do you think you are?" He asked Saitou angered. Chou smirked.

"Chief Inspector Fujita Guro." Chou watched as the police officer's face went from red to a sickly green. He started to stammer.

"I, I'm s, sorry sir! I meant no disrespect. Sir." Saitou turned to him with a scowl.

"Stop lying. It doesn't suit you. Of course you meant disrespect." He glared. "And what did you mean by you doubt that it was worth it?"

"well," the officer answered recovering slightly. "the bum who lives here doesn't have anything. He's worthless and the only thing he's good for is… is taking up space in a jail cell." Saitou noticed the officer halted briefly before answering fully. He had a feeling the officer was going to say something but decided against it. He glared at him again and dismissed him with a wave of a hand. The officer left hastily and without need of further directions.

Chou glared at the empty doorway and muttered a low "bastard" and walked over to where Saitou was. Saitou placed the box that he had still been holding down on the papers. He stood again and faced Chou.

"What was he originally going to say?" Saitou asked unemotionally. Chou looked at him for a minute before he turned his head to the door way again.

"He was going to say that the only thing the rooster head is good for is spreading his legs." He made sure not to look at Saitou when he said this.

Saitou had to bite back the fury that rose in him when he heard Chou say that. Spread his legs? Surly the ahou wouldn't… would he? Chou, seeming to read his mind, shool his head.

"Shows how much he knows." He turned to Saitou and looked him straight in the eye. "The rooster would never, never whore himself out. He has to too much pride for that. He's too good a person to do that. I may not know him that well but I know him well enough to know that." Chou looked back at the door with contempt. "Some of the guys want him but they wouldn't dare." Saitou raised an eyebrow.

"and why exactly is that?"

"They don't want to piss Himora off." Chou narrowed his eyes. "Some of them also know that I would seriously hurt them if they tried it."

Saitou silently approved Chou's last comment. He knew that Chou considered the boy his friend, whether the ahou knew and accepted or not. Chou was always watching out for the ahou, in his own way, of course.

Saitou took one last look around and left the apartment. The ahou had not been there. He had not come home. He was possibly missing. He walked back to the carriage and opened the door.

"Chou." Chou looked over and nodded. He walked over and climbed in after Saitou. The door was shut and the carriage headed back to the police station. Both men had worry in their minds and hearts.

The police station was a bit louder than usual as Saitou made his way to his office. Chou had parted company with him to go and check local gambling halls and bars for the ahou. Saitou opened his door and walked over to his desk. There was paper work to be done. He wouldn't spare time for thought of the ahou. But after an hour of absent mindedly tossing crumpled paper into the waste basket that bore the information of the ahou's disappearance, he gave up not sparing a thought to him.

He had just tossed another wasted piece of paper away when there was a knock on his office door.

"Come in." Chou walked in with a disappointed look on his face. Chou looked at Saitou and shook his head. He had no found the ahou. Saitou sighed and turned back to his paperwork. He managed to fill out half of it while Chou sat on the corner of his desk contemplating only the spirits knew what, until his mind drifted and he filled in _abandoned apartment_ in the _location of transfer_ section of the paper.

Chou turned to Saitou.

"I don't know where he could be boss. He's simply dissapeard."

"Who?" A voice from the doorway caused both men to look up. A brown haired officer stood in the doorway holding files for Saitou to sign off on. Saitou glared. Eavesdroppers annoyed him.

"None of your business." His glare intensified. The young man didn't bat an eye. Clearly, he was used to Saitou by now.

"Sorry. I just thought I might have been some use to you sir. I was mistaken. I apologize." He walked forward and placed the files that rested in the crook of his arm on the desk. As he straitened to leave his eyes fell on the pictures of the rapist's victims. He paused momentarily but then turned and left the room. Saitou watched him leave. He turned back to Chou.

"Start asking around town about the ahou. Talk to our informants. Make sure that they understand that we want word from them if they spot the boy. People don't just up and disappear. Not even I can do that." _Not even if I want to._ Saitou silently added. He waited for Chou's confirmation and then turned back to his work. He sighed and tossed the paper into the trash. Saitou put the papers away. He would finish them later. If he had enough paper left, that is. "Chou?" Saitou spoke up before Chou left the room.

"Yeah, boss?"

"I don't want Himura getting word of this; at least not right now." Chou nodded.

The door closed and Saitou looked back out the window. _What the hell was wrong with him?_

The groan Sano let past his lips was louder than he originally thought. He slowly sat up and surveyed the room that he had been placed in. It was clean, neat, and sparse. Much like his own apartment, Sano thought to himself. The one window that the room possessed was on the wall to his right. Light spilled past the bars that were welded into its frame.

He groaned again and cradled his head in his hands. Man, his head hurt. It felt like it was trying to split itself in two. He drew in a few shaky breathes trying to dull the pain. He slowly gathered himself and rose from the bed that he was lying on. His legs shook and threatened to give out but managed to cling to what little pride that was left. He looked at the door that was to his left. Sano slowly dragged himself over to it, holding on to the wall for support. He had just reached the door and the decision of trying to open it, when it was wrenched open.

Sano looked up into the face that blocked the doorway and his eyes widened.

END PART TWO

Saitou: (reading book) About time too.

Sano: (wide eyed) WAIT! THAT CAN'T BE THE END! WHO WAS THE PERSON? WHO KIDNAPPED ME?

Saitou: Shut up Ahou. I am sure you'll find out in the next part.

Sano: But I don't want to wait months for her (points to me) to write a new part!

Me: HEY! You better be careful bub! You forget I'm the one writing this baby.

Sano: So?

Me: If you piss me off I have to power to do horrible things to you.

Sano: (skeptical) Like what:

Me: (evil smirk) Like, oh lets say, MAKE OUT WITH CHOU!!!

Sano: (eyes widen in horror) NOOOOO!

Saitou: (snickers)

Me: (look at Saitou) Or perhaps Hajime here. HM… you two would make a good couple.

Saitou: (looks up in horror)

Sano: (gags) You're evil.

Me: NOPE!!! Just a Yaoi fan girl.

Saitou: Oh great… just great.


	3. Chapter 3

By the time Chou had contacted the informants and had gotten them to agree to discretion, it was almost dinner time. There were so many idiots the police department relied on for information. Chou was starting to believe that in a little while Saitou was going to cut down on the number of informants. He also believed that Saitou was going to approach the rooster head about becoming an informant. Chou thought that was a good idea. The rooster head knew a lot of people around town. He had a lot of connections and no one would really consider him an informant. He could travel around without drawing attention, unusual attention that is, and he learned of things that many other informants could not even come close to learning about. Chou knew that Sano was dense and that he had to be told things several times to make sure that they were in his head, but once he had a mission, he did anything to complete it. He was loyal, kind, and caring; and Saitou knew that just as Chou did. Chou also suspected that after today, Saitou would approach the rooster with this opportunity and would refuse "no" as an answer. Saitou would offer the kid regular pay for his services. Chou was sure of it.

Both of them were surprised to actually see where the kid lived. The conditions of his so called home were terrible. The place was a dump. Chou knew that the kid had money problems but Chou thought he was better off than that. He thought the rooster could afford something more than a run down room. The place didn't even have real floors. No wonder the kid was always at the dojo or around town. He didn't want to go home.

Chou looked both directions before he crossed the street and slowly made his way to the police station. He gripped his light coat around him as the cool wind blew. This was going to be a long night.

Saitou had taken to the streets by the time Chou was finished with the informants. He had grown tired of the reports and in boredom, thought about checking the bars once again. He was making his way to one of the Rooster head's favorite places when he saw the Myojin boy. He stopped and stepped back into an alley and watched as the boy passed by. Saitou followed and watched as Myojin entered the bar that Saitou himself was walking to. Moments later the boy left shaking his head. Then a thought occurred to Saitou, _he's looking for the rooster head._

Saitou watched as the boy walked off, kicking the dust. Saitou walked into the bar. It was dark and the slumped figures on the tables indicated that this establishment was truly a bar. He walked over to the bartender and waited until he had served his customer. The bartender turned to Saitou and raised an eyebrow.

"What's your pleasure?" Saitou shook his head.

"I am not interested in a drink."

"Then what is it you want?"

"Have you seen a young man, brown hair that defies gravity, brown eyes?"

"Oh, you mean Sagara?"

"Yes."

"Not since the day before yesterday." Saitou silently cursed. He turned to leave. "Is he in trouble?"

Saitou turned to him. "No."

"That's good." Saitou stared at him. "He's a good kid. He likes to pick fights when he's been drinking, but all-in-all, a good kid. He likes to help me when I really need it; he kind of pays off his tab that way."

Saitou nodded and walked out. He spent an hour of two in the growing cold visiting the kid's hang out points but to no avail. The rooster head really had disappeared. Saitou was forced to consider the possible outcome. The rooster head may possibly already be dead. Saitou stilled those thoughts and focused on the next course of action. No matter what, they had to find the kid.

Sano gasped and fell backwards away from the figure. The sudden shift of pressure on his lags caused them to give out. Sane tumbled towards the ground but was caught an instant before he hit the hard cold floor.

"Sano!" The man's grip tightened. Sano's head whipped up.

"Andrew!" He gaped. Sano tightened his grip on Andrew's arms.

"Are you okay?" Andrew asked as he helped Sano up.

"Yeah, you just scared me." Sano looked around. "What am I doing here?"

Andrew looked at Sano for a moment. He helped Sano stand steady as he led him to the door.

"You passed out and we didn't know where to put you so we put you in an empty room. Sorry."

"For what?" Sano turned his head to swiftly and a bolt of pain shot through his skull. He groaned.

"For scaring you. I thought you'd still be asleep."

"It's okay. I was trying to get out of the room. I hate places like that. It reminds me of the apartment." Andrew looked at Sano.

"Well let's get you to the kitchen. We'll get you some coffee." Sano's head shot up and another bolt went through him. He groaned again but continued on.

"Coffee? You have coffee?"

"Yeah, we restocked about two months ago. Got a shit load of the stuff." Andrew cocked a smirk sideways at Sano. "You sounded excited."

Sano glared. "Nothing's better for hangovers than coffee. Buddha, it's one of the things I miss the most."

"Well, why don't you come around more? You'd get all the free coffee you want." Sano glared. They entered the western styled kitchen. Andrew sat Sano down at the table and went to start the coffee. Sano looked around. The kitchen was painted in a light blue and soothed Sano's upset mind. The sound of water running and the clang of the metal teapot being placed on the fire reached Sano's ears. Sano sighed.

"Andrew, stop trying to bribe me into coming around. You know our arrangement."

"Yeah, you came around last night though."

"Not really. Not willingly at least. I ran into David. He practically dragged me back here. I didn't really get a say in the matter." Andrew snorted.

"Sounds like something David would do." Andrew turned to Sano when he finished up the preparations for the coffee. He watched Sano for a moment. "Sano, stupid question, you do know there's a rapist out there targeting guys like you, right?"

Sano looked up and stared unwaveringly into Andrew's eyes.

"Yeah, I do. But I had to get away. I'm so damned tired of hypocrites." Andrew frowned.

"That's still no excuse for possibly putting yourself in danger. David was smart I dragging your sorry ass here."

"At least on person agrees with me!" Both men turned to the black haired newcomer leaning against the doorway.

"David." Sano glared.

"Hey now! I did what was best for you. We haven't seen hair or hide of you since we got back. You just up and disappeared on us. How was I to turn down the perfect opportunity to kidnap, I mean, spend time with you?"

Sano snorted and Andrew smiled.

"Well, I'll admit, it is nice to talk to you guys every once in a while. I haven't had that much fun in a long while."

"Of course you haven't." Andrew grinned and seated himself sown at the table. David walked over and took Andrew's place at the counter. "No one can party like us."

Sano grinned. Andrew was right. Sano didn't know anyone that could party like Andrew and David. Well, except for himself, that is. The empty bottles of sake and whiskey on the table and ground in the other room proved that. Sano groaned when a fierce throb ran through his head. David chuckled.

"Man, you sure were putting them back last night. I haven't met a drinking partner that could match me drink for drink since you left."

Sano looked at David closely. David hadn't changed at all since Sano last saw him. True, it was a short time ago, but Sano still noticed. David had rich midnight black hair. It was cropped short and fit his appearance. His piercing blue eyes could, Sano believed, pierce a person's soul. David had a blindingly handsome smile that lit up the room when he walked in. David had a lighthearted personality most of the time but Sano knew that David was a viper in disguise. David's history was filled with violence. He was a fighter and had no qualms about killing if it suited his purposes or if someone angered him to the point of killing; and one of the quickest ways to really anger David was to mess with his family. Sano watched as David and Andrew struck up a light-hearted conversation about the time when Sano won a drinking contest and then celebrated by barfing on the defeated competition. David was one of Sano's closest friends. David never pretended to be something he wasn't, at least, not for Sano. He never lied to Sano about his nature. David was the one who Sano could go to for guidance. Sano knew that David cared about him as a little brother, that ironic thought made Sano chuckle quietly.

"What's so funny?" Andrew asked across the table. Sano looked up from his musings and shook his head.

"Nothing, just chuckling at the memory."

"Memory, hell Sano, you were too wasted to remember that morning, let alone the drinking game that night." Sano shrugged. He turned his attention to Andrew.

Andrew, like David, had a lighthearted personality, but unlike David's lightheartedness, Andrew's was through and through. Andrew never pretended. He was always honestly nice. It didn't matter to who he was talking to. Andrew was truly a nice guy.

Andrew was the same age as David, both being a few years older that Sano. Andrew possessed red hair that flowed to his lower back. It was tied back by a leather strip. Andrew's green eyes shown out through red bangs and a small, graceful, smile graced his lips. Andrew's posture spoke of ease and pleasantry. The only wrinkles that lined his face were ones of happiness, face cracking smiles, and laughs.

Sano's hearted heated with contentedness. He had two of his closest friends with him laughing and joking and he wasn't being forced to cut his time short. They would allow him to stay all day, all week, all of his life, if he simply asked; but Sano knew he couldn't. His place wasn't here with them. Sano frowned. He wasn't sure if he even had a place anymore.

David and Andrew noticed Sano's quietness. They looked at him sitting quietly looking down at the table top frowning. They both knew that Sano was going to leave. They just had hoped that it wouldn't have had to be so soon.

"Guys," Sano spoke out of the quiet. He looked at the two of them. The understanding radiated off of them. Sano thanked Buddha for friends like these two.

"We know, Sano." Andrew spoke up. David turned around when the teapot started to whistle. "How about some coffee before you go?"

"Yeah, that'd be nice." David poured the cups and handed one to Sano and one to Andrew while he took the last cup for himself. They sipped the strong brew silently. When Sano was done he placed to cup on the table and stood to go. David placed his cup down as well. Sano looked at him.

"I'll walk you out."

"I can find my own way, David." Sano said heatedly. He had a sinking suspicion that David wanted to talk to him and David's talks were never good. David shook his head and the look in his eyes gave Sano no room for rebuttal.

As both men left the room Andrew shared a look with David. David nodded and grabbed a coat that was hanging up on the wall by the doorway.

The two walked silently as David led the way. Sano paid attention to the halls they were taking to the front.

"David?"

"Yeah?"

"Why aren't we going out the front way?"

"We don't want you to be seen. We don't want you affiliated with the bar."

"Oh." They continued on silently until they reached a back door. David unlocked it and as Sano was stepping out into the cold David pulled him back. Sano was gently pushed against the doorframe. They looked each other in the eye for a moment until Sano looked away.

"David," Sano started.

"No, it's you turn to listen." Sano looked at David again. David's demeanor changed rapidly to one of seriousness. His piercing blue eyes bore into Sano's soul. "I don't know what happened last night or lately, but I want you to know that you can always come to here; always. Sano, we all care about you. We all think you're too hard on your self. The way you're living your life, you're killing yourself." Sano snorted and glared.

"You sound a lot like a bastard I know." The look David sent Sano withered any other words that would have left his mouth.

"Listen and listen well. Andrew and I are leaving tomorrow. We're going back. Michael will be here. Don't hesitate to come if you need any of us. Don't hesitate to come if you just want coffee. You remember the arrangement. Don't hesitate to act on it. Sano, be careful. This guy is bound to notice you. I think he already has. By the way you explained the cops' actions and this Chou's behavior last night; I think they believe the same thing." David's grip on Sano tightened. He closed the distance between their faces so they were nose to nose. David continued in a low dangerous voice. "Do not let me hear that you are acting irresponsibly and stupidly. I do not; I repeat, do not; want you out by your self late a night. I want you to come here if you feel like anything is wrong. Do you understand me?" Sano didn't answer. David's grip bruised as he shook Sano. "Answer me!"

"Yes, David." Sano said quietly as he looked David in the eye.

"Good." David said letting go and stepping back. He looked at Sano up and down and frowned. He handed out the coat he held in the crook of his arm to Sano. Sano looked at the coat and shook his head. He took a step out when David's palm slammed into the doorframe an inch before Sano's head. Sano looked at his friend. David glared and held out the coat. Sano sighed and took it. David didn't move his hand. Sano glared at the arm and cursed. He took a step back in side and placed the coat on. It slides effortlessly into place. The black cloth flowed down to his knees and it immediately enveloped him in its warmth. Sano closed his eyes and relished in the new found heat. He started when he felt David pull him into a loose hug. David whispered into his ear.

"Sano, I care about you, we all do. We just want to see you happy and safe. You're like the little brother I never had. I love you to death and if anything happened to you," David stopped. He still held Sano. Sano knew what David was trying to convey and he knew that it was taking a lot out of David's pride.

"I know David." Sano squeezed David. "Pass that on to the others when you see them, okay?" David pulled back and nodded. "You take care of your self." David nodded.

"I could say the same thing." David smiled. Sano turned and paused.

"David, I want you to know, no matter what, that you've always been one of my closest and best friends."

"I know."

"See ya."

"Yeah, see ya."

And Sano walked off toward his sparse and lonesome apartment.


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry guys that it took so long. I've been a bit behind with school and all. I hope you aren't too mad.

Now, on with the story! By the way the POV is switching between Saitou and Sano. It's very important to know who's point of view it is. The horizontal line shows a flash back beginning or ending of POV switching. Pay close attention and you'll notice that Saitou never refers to Sano by his name. That's kind of important for later on.

And, I might need a little encouragement later down the road to make sure I update promptly, so feel free to write and tell me to hurry the hell up! It'll probably help. :P

Now on the the show!!!

SaitouLover

* * *

The soba warmed Saitou's hands as he contemplated the rooster head's actions. He heard the door open and looked up to see Chou watching him silently. 

"Hey boss." Chou had a file in his hands. "Want me to throw this out?" Saitou nodded. Chou glanced at Saitou once more from the corner of his eye before he turned and left the office.

Saitou looked down at the noodle broth that he held in his hands. He glared and threw it at the wall. The sound of the bowl smashing against the wall echoed throughout the room. He sat back and took out a cigarette. As he struck a match Saitou looked at the mirror that hung on the wall to his right and grimaced as he caught sight of the ugly bruise that was forming on his right cheek. Saitou looked at the stain on the wall where the soba had hit. He sighed.

The ahou had no right to do what he did. Saitou admitted that he had possibly over reacted to the rooster head's refusal of an explanation but the rooster head had no right to tell him that it was none of his business. Everyone had been worried about him. Chou had been worried, hell; even he had been a bit worried; a bit. Of course, Saitou would never be one to admit that to any one else let alone the rooster head.

Saitou stood and made his way over to the other side of the room. As he knelt to pick up the pieces of the broken bowl, Saitou remembered the day's events.

* * *

(Flash back to that morning, the day after Sano left Andrew and David)

* * *

Saitou had just sat down at his desk in the police station the next day to start paperwork when Chou burst into his office. It was clear to Saitou that the broom head had had little sleep if any. Chou's hair was tousled and his clothes were hastily put on. Chou stood leaning on the door frame catching his breathe. Saitou watched him with well hidden surprise. When Chou finally had enough breath he looked up at Saitou. Immediately, Saitou knew it had to do with the ahou. 

"Boss, he's alive!" Saitou stood up. "He wasn't kidnapped! He just showed up at his apartment and demanded to know why the police where there. An officer came and got me. Boss, he's not dead! He's alright."

Saitou allowed a slight exhale and then let his anger overtake him. He slowly walked overt to Chou.

"Where is he now?" his voice was dripping with controlled fury. Chou, realizing it for what it was, spoke truthfully.

"At his apartment." Chou backed away with lightning speed as Saitou walked passed him and into the hall. All the policemen looked up at Saitou when he entered the main police room. The saw his mood and the ones with experience backed off. The rookies who had never seen their boss in such a state made a mental note to try to stay on his good side.

Saitou had just reached the ahou's apartment block when he saw a police officer run out of the ahou's apartment covering his head; the reason why became evident when a clay pot was launched at his head.

"And stay out!" The ahou's screaming could be heard from even where Saitou was standing 100 feet away. Saitou glared at the door to see if any more projectiles would come soaring out and when none did he ventured into the dump of an apartment stealthily.

The Rooster head was sitting down on the ground in front of his bomb friend's papers. He was holding the oak box from earlier. Saitou watched him for a moment or two. When the boy showed no signs of movement, Saitou coughed. The Rooster head stiffened and turned his head. His eyes widened slightly when he saw who was standing in his apartment.

"Get out." He growled

"Hn. Not before you explain yourself." Saitou glared.

* * *

"Hn." Sano continued to glare for a moment and then turned back around. He gripped the box and then stood. He walked away from Saitou to the corner of the room out of view from the corner of the room. He lifted a dirty cloth and placed the box under it. He turned around and stared Saitou evenly.

"What do you want, Saitou?"

"I want an explanation, Ahou." Sano's eyes widened.

"An explanation? An explanation for WHAT?"

"Explaining why you led the police on a wild goose chase."

"What? I have no idea what you're talking about, man."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really." Sano huffed. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared.

* * *

Saitou watched the ahou for a moment or two and deemed him in ignorant idiot and took pity on him. 

"You disappeared."

"Yeah, so? I disappear all the time; especially when alcohol is involved." Saitou's glare silenced the ahou.

"You disappeared in the middle of the night, after leaving a police officer, shortly before another victim was found. I will also add, Ahou, that the victim's body was found a mere street or two away from this hell hole."

* * *

Sano just stood there and looked at Saitou. The bastard couldn't be right. He couldn't! 

"You're lying." He simply said before turning around and looking at the mess that was left in his apartment.

"Would you like to see the blood, ahou. I'd be glad to have a police officer walk you over to the site." Sano practically heard the sarcasm dripping from Saitou's words. Sano Stiffened and then forced himself to relax.

"Like I said before, jackass, get out." Sano cinched his hands into fists. He continued on. "I'm obviously fine." Silence reigned down upon both men.

"No." Sano wheeled around.

"What?"

"You heard me, ahou. I said no."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because you still owe me an explanation." Sano just stared at Saitou dumbly.

* * *

Saitou watched as understanding slowly dawned upon the ahou. 

"I owe you NOTHING, old man!"

"On the contrary, idiot," each syllable of the insulting word was enunciated. "You do."

"FUCK YOU!" The boy screamed. Saitou watched with lessening patience as the ahou wrestled with himself.

* * *

Sano wanted to punch the bastard. How dare he come into Sano's apartment and demand to know where he's been! How dare he assume that he has a right to that information! Sano felt like screaming. He felt like throwing something. He felt like punching Saitou. Sano wanted to hurt that bastard. He wanted to make him suffer. But Sano quickly realized the futility in those wishes though. The man before him could not be hurt. He couldn't be hurt because he had no feelings. The man before him was as cold as ice. And just as frozen as ice, was any compassion in him. 

Sano straitened up and glared at Saitou once more before stepping in the direction of the door.

Only to be stopped by Saitou's right arm. Sano stared at it for a moment. The slight wrinkles in the midnight blue material stood out at him for some reason. He thought about the situation and found it funny.

* * *

Saitou glared at the ahou. 

"What's so funny, hn?" The boy's chuckles turned into quiet laughter. The idiot looked Saitou in the eyes and burst out laughing. Saitou glared.

"This." The Ahou managed between laughs and waved his hand between the two of them. "Now, now you want to talk. Now when you're curious and I'm the only one with answers and refuse to give them to you, now you want to talk." His laughter became louder.

Saitou glared daggers at the boy. "So you refuse, hn?" Saitou's eyes took on a dangerous glint. "I would call that obstruction of justice wouldn't you, ahou?"

The boy stopped laughing and straightened up. He looked Saitou in the eyes and spat in his face; or at least tried to.

* * *

Saitou dodged and in moments had Sano painfully pinned down on the ground. 

"And that, ahou, is called assault." He gripped Sano's wrists tighter, causing Sano to wince. "It's worth at least a night in a jail cell. And by the way, they've been remodeled. The walls are quite thick." He punctuated his words with a jerk of Sano's arms and wrists.

Sano grimaced. Saitou was defiantly hurting him and he could defiantly not get out of the death grip. Sano accidentally let out a pained whined. He heard Saitou scoff and felt the grip slacken a bit; not enough to escape, but enough so it felt as if his wrists were breaking. Saitou leaned down.

"Let's try this again, ahou. Shall we? Where were you?" Sano closed his eyes tightly. He took a deep breathe and spoke.

"No." It was a faint whisper. Saitou raised an eyebrow.

"No?"

"No." Sano let out the breath he had been holding. "Aaagh!" Sano clamped his mouth shut, cutting off the small scream of pain.

"Where were you?" Saitou whispered dangerously, grinding Sano's wrists together.

"No." Sano gasped out. Saitou tightened his grip even more.

"Where… were…you?" Sano was fighting the urge to scream and kick out at Saitou. He fought the urge to try to get away. Sano was well aware of the fact that it was futile to even try. Why waste the effort.

* * *

A police officer walked in and was about to step in when he caught the look Saitou sent him. The officer slowly backed out of the room, not wanting his boss's wrath directed at him. Saitou glared down at the boy. He knew he was hurting the boy a great deal but this was the only way of getting the information he wanted. He knew he couldn't actually bring himself to break the kid's wrists but Saitou knew how to make it feel like he were breaking them. 

"Tell. Me. Now." Each word was accented with more force around the boy's wrists. Saitou heard the boy whimper and saw tears silently steam out of his eyes but forced himself not to weaken. The boy's tears clouded his already pain filled sight. He cried out as Saitou again tightened his hold on him.

"Alright." He cried out. "Please! Please! Alright!" Saitou loosened his grip to the point where the kid wouldn't be in a great deal of pain. The boy gasped in relief and clinched his eyes tighter.

"I was at my girlfriend's." Saitou stared down at the ahou deciding whether or not to believe him. Saitou decided not to.

"OWWW! I'M TELLING THE TRUTH BASTARD!"

"Try again."

"NO! I'M TELLING YOU THE TRUTH!"

"Like I'm supposed to believe that?"

"YES!" the boy screamed.

"Explain."

"I was walking home and she was heading home from her friend's. I didn't want her walking home alone so I went with her the rest of the way! Her father told me to stay the night! I swear. Check it out!"

Saitou looked down at the boy and decided to let it go. He'd check it out later. He slowly let the boy up.

* * *

Sano just lay on the ground breathing heavily. Blackness surrounded him as his eyes remained closed and the pain in his wrists slowly ebbed away. He grimaced at the pain and at the lie he just so blatantly told. Sano thought to himself. _I can't believe I just lied to him. I can't believe he bought it. Did he? Oh gods, my fucking wrists! At least he didn't break them. How am I going to get out of this? How am I going to keep him from finding out? If he finds out I lied he's sure to break my wrists for real, probably do something worse than that._

Sano slowly dragged his hands up by his head and placed them on the ground. He gingerly placed weight on them to see if he could push himself up. He couldn't. He fell back down and the disturbed dust made him cough. He felt hands grip his upper arms and he was jerked upright.

In surprise, Sano opened his eyes and looked at Saitou's hands on his arms. He looked up at Saitou only to see him looking at the already forming bruises on Sano's wrists.

"Hn." Saitou turned and walked out the door. Sano reckoned that that was as close to an apology from Saitou as anyone would ever get. Anger suddenly blossomed in Sano's Chest. HOW DARE HE! How dare that insufferable bastard just walk away like the pain and torture he just put him through was nothing! How dare Saitou think that hurting him in such a way was within his power! Sano growled and stormed out after the cricket face.

"Fujita!" Sano's shout wrung out into the air. Saitou didn't stop. Sano narrowed his eyes. _Alright, if that's how he's going to play…_ "Or should I say, Saitou?!"

* * *

Saitou stopped and glared. Did that punk just call his real name out? He turned and gave a glare so fierce many police officers backed away, slowly. Saitou slowly walked toward the boy. 

The ahou was standing in his doorway with his chin held high. Defiance shone brightly in his eyes. Saitou wanted to kill him.

The boy smirked and stepped away from the door frame.

* * *

"Guess what? I lied. I lied and I don't care, you bastard. How dare you assume that you can push me around just because you're stronger and faster; just because you're smarter than me?" Sano narrowed his eyes. "You may have been a Shinsengumi member, but let me tell you something." His voice became low and full of anger. "I may not be as smart as you, Saitou, but I grew up learning how to survive where a lot of others wouldn't have even lasted days let alone weeks, months, years." His anger getting the best of him; he continued. "I faced things that no kid should have to deal with, ever. I saw things that would make many people shudder. But not you, oh no, not you I'm sure. You're to cold to care. You probably find all this funny as hell, don't you? Well, you know what? I don't care. I may not have had the ideal parents, the family, hell, the goddamn shelter you had with the Shinsengumi, but I grew up. I survived. And though I may not match up with you," Sano jabbed a finger in Saitou's direction. "I still deserve a little goddamn respect." With that Sano turned slightly and slammed his fist into Saitou's face. 

If Saitou hadn't been so surprised with the ahou's speech, he would have been able to block the punch that landed directly in his face. He reeled back slightly and narrowed his eyes. The smug satisfaction that crept over the ahou's face infuriated Saitou. He pulled his arm back and slammed his fist into the boy's head. The boy flew back and slammed into the wall of the building. He lost consciousness almost immediately and his body went slack.

"Pick this low-life up and put him in a cell." He said to one of the officers standing discreetly behind the corner of the building out of harm's way.

"Eh, yes sir."

* * *

(End Flash Back)

* * *

Now, looking back, Saitou reevaluated his previous conclusion. He had not over re-acted. The ahou deserved everything he got. Which included a night in jail and a personal beating, ahem, talking to, tomorrow. 

He stood, got his coat, and went home. A nice bowl of soba sounded wonderful right about now.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey guys! This is going to be a short chapter. Just something to keep you guys entertained. I'll try to keep writing, even if it's only short chapters.

Saitou: At least you have updated.

Sano: Yeah! I want to know why cricket here gets away with throwing me in jail! He harassed me!

Saitou: Hn. Ahou, you assaulted an officer!

Sano: Why you…

Me: THAT'S IT!!! I'm going to make this a yaoi!

Saitou & Sano: NOOOOO! (both turn to glare)

Me: (snicker) Gee… I wonder who's gonna be on the bottom?

Saitou: (Points to Sano)

Sano: NO WAY!!!!!

Saitou: Ahou, my characterization will not allow me to be seme.

Me: you guys can talk it out when the readers are reading. NOW, on with the show!

Sano sat bolt upright. The screaming still wrung out loudly in his head. One moment he heard it plain as day and then, in the next, it was gone.

He panted silently and, when calmed sown slightly, shivered. _Why won't they leave me alone?_ Even after all these years, the nightmares still followed him. Sano shivered again. They still came; those horrible, horrible dreams.

The breeze blew through the barred window of the cell and embraced him. It was, in Sano's opinion, a reflection of his own current state of mind; chilled.

Sano closed his eyes. Glimpses of the nightmare came back, forcing their way into his imagination. _**The blood, the laughter…**_ His eyes flew wide. _No…no! I won't think about it! I won't! That was years ago. I've gotten over it. _His declarations, though, had no power over the fear that was slowly gripping his heart.

Sano looked around him. The moon only offered enough light to barely see what his temporary room looked like. It was small, about six feet wide and eight feet deep. It held only a rotting bed and a blanket of even shoddier condition. The bed was on the wall with the window parallel to the iron cell door. Sano sighed. He knew he shouldn't have lost his temper and punched Saitou, but it felt like a good thing to do right at that moment. Sano smirked. He even made contact with the cricket's face.

A distant sound brought Sano from the memory. It sounded like a moan from another prisoner. He listened for it again and when it didn't come, he turned to the window and looked out. He gazed out at the stars that were partially visible. They seemed to glow dimmer the longer he watched. He looked away. A roach made its way across the floor. Sano threw his shoe at it. The roach dodged the projectile and scurried away.

Sano sighed and got up. He stepped over to his shoe, bent down, and picked it up. He sat down on the bed and put it back on. He looked down at his feet. They grew blurry as the tears filled Sano's eyes. Tears? Sano looked up to keep them from falling. He blinked furiously. The salty drops tore their way down his cheeks. He laughed. He was crying and he didn't even know why.

"Shut up, will ya?" Sano jerked upright. The voice tore through the air and pulled Sano from his breakdown.

"Who's that?"

"It's none of you damn business! Just shut up! I'm trying to sleep here!"

Sano glared into the darkness for a moment and then turned his head away. He rubbed the back of his hand across his cheeks to dry the tears. Sano pulled him self back into the middle of his bed and hugged his knees to his chest. He rested his head on his knees and let the silent tears resume. He didn't know why he was crying but he didn't stop the salty drops from coming.

After a while Sano became tired of crying and laid down. He hugged his knees to his chest and stared at the wall ahead of him. Sano was tired. He hadn't slept very well the past few days and the drunken stupor last night didn't count. His eyes started to drift shut. The images and laughter came back and his eyes shot open. He pulled his legs closer and whimpered. He wouldn't be sleeping tonight.

* * *

Night found Chou slumped at his desk sleeping; a pen in hand. The low hum of police activity died out long ago. His head rested on the wooden surface and every now and then his body would shift closer towards the desk. At his left elbow sat a pile of paperwork that had yet to be finished.

Through an open window came a soft cool breeze. As it was carried across the police room it knocked against files and desks, chairs and lamps. It reached Chou and gently blew across his sleeping face. It roused him for a moment, a moment only, and slumber soon claimed him again.

The breeze grew colder at this but yet could do nothing but fade away. It would try again after it rested and regained its strength. The next time it would succeed in fully awakening the sleeping man. It had to. The boy laying outside, dead, needed to be found.


	6. Chapter 6

Light slowly crossed the fields chasing the night into hiding

Light slowly crossed the fields chasing the night into hiding. It crept into Tokyo silently. The buildings were subtly basked in the warm glow of the rising sum. With that warmth came the opening of windows and doors, the rising of the occupants of the city, and the screams of the woman who had stumbled upon the body that lay at the back of the police station.

Sano sat bolt upright on the bed. The screams that were mere feet away echoed in his head and agitated his sleep-deprived headache. He groaned and crushed his hands to his ears. The woman, he though, had a shrill voice.

Sano heard the running of men, probably the police, and shortly after that, the screaming subsided into hoarse sobs. After a moment or two even the sobs grew quiet and became nothing. Sano took a deep breath to ease the throbbing in his head. No sounds emanated from the alley and he realized that they were no longer there. They had taken the woman away; hopefully, he thought, far way.

As he sat on the bed he took note of himself. He felt his face and noticed slight stubble, his clothes were dirty and torn, and he could practically taste his dirty, dry mouth. On top of it all that he was cold, hungry, and tired. He had had little sleep before his nightmare and none after. His eyes hurt from exhaustion and the headache due to the lack of sleep was horrible. The fact that he had spent up his tears crying hadn't helped the pounding in his head either.

"Damn it." Sano immediately regretted cursing. Even his own voice caused his head pain. Sano stiffened with a certain realization. He was having a migraine. He groaned. He hadn't had a migraine in so long he had forgotten what the early stages were like. He lay back down with his back to the window. He tried to hide his eyes from the growing light. His eyes began to hurt anyway though. He pulled the ratty blanket over his head and took deep steady breaths.

Sano hated migraines with a passion. Migraines would keep him in bed for hours at a time. They made Sano feel helpless and weak. He felt unable to protect himself. Migraines were one of the only things that he couldn't fight.

The air under the blanket grew hot from his breath and so he lifted the cloth to get new, cooler, air. After repeating that process a few times he groaned and slowly rolled the blanket into a mask for over his eyes. He kept his eyes firmly closed until the blanket covered his eyes. The blackness was welcomed with a pain tinged sigh. Sano closed his eyes again and couldn't help but remember how Sarah and Thomas made him his blindfold that he loved dearly.

Sano would get migraines all the time when he was younger. They would be so horrible that he would end up crying and sometimes screaming when someone tried to take to him or opened the window and let the light in. his eyes became so sensitive that the even the dullest light would pain him.

After having these debilitating for a year or so, Sarah and Thomas had gotten together and made a blindfold for him. Sano loved that particular gift. It was thick and wide and made of extremely soft material. The blindfold held back the light wonderfully. Sano had been grateful for it immediately. As he lay in the jail cell, he desperately wished that he had it. All he could do now was keep this impromptu blindfold on and pray that no one came to "interrogate" him.

* * *

To say that Saitou Hajime was upset was an understatement. If you were to ask Saitou however, he would merely state that he was annoyed; then he would throw you across the room, or make you cry. Such was the case with the young police officer who had volunteered to explain the dead boy to his chief. Of course by volunteered, it is meant that the other officers had enough experience to run away before there was any chance of being chosen for that particular suicide mission.

The young officer had been forced to travel to the chief's home and awaken him at six in the morning. Saitou had come to the door with a simple glare. He had been let in and then found himself standing just inside, ready to run if need be. Over the next few minutes and a fumbled explanation, the glare slowly went from a glare of annoyance to one of murder. In an instant the young officer was yanked away from his escape and had been pinned to the wall by a very irate chief of detectives.

"What do you mean 'it was just found'?" Saitou's grip tightened.

"Um, um, um…" The young man stuttered. His answer obviously didn't satisfy Saitou because in the next moment he was rammed back into the wall.

"You little imbecile! How could you have let someone dump a body behind the police department?" Saitou snarled and then continued to scream at the helpless officer. A look of disgust passed across Saitou's face and he launched the poor, unfortunate man ten feet across the room. He hit the other wall and slid down. Saitou growled and stormed out towards the police station.

The young man stared at the empty door frame for a minute and promptly burst into tears.

Saitou stormed into the building and everyone fell silent. They watched his every move until he made it half way across the room. When Saitou stopped every person in the room went into motion. The seasoned officers knew to run off to "investigate" the body or hide behind the huge stacks of paperwork that they had built up on their desks on purpose.

So it was that the less experienced officers suffered the brunt of their boss' anger.

"How the hell did someone dump a body on us AND GET AWAY?!" The closest men to Saitou coward slightly as he looked at each one of them with barely controlled fury. "WELL?"

A foolish officer stepped forward and looked at the ground.

"We're not sure sir. No one was making the rounds around…" That was as far as he got before Saitou opened his mouth to scream and Chou clamped his hand over the man's mouth and spoke up.

"No one was making the rounds by the police station when the body was dumped because of the force being stretched so far, boss. There just aren't enough men to cover the street and the police station. We thought that the station wouldn't need to be covered constantly." Chou spoke with conviction in his voice and looked Saitou straight in the eye.

Saitou was seething and he didn't know who to take it out on, Chou or the little bastard who was currently cowering behind Chou. Chou was staring him in the eye silently telling him to let it go. Chou was, surprisingly, useful and Saitou thought it would be difficult to break in a new assistant. Saitou silently decided to back down.

"What ever. Just get out of my sight, NOW!" Almost every person in the room cleared out within a minute, the exception being Chou.

Chou stood straight and watched as grown men ran from their boss. Pitiful, they protect Tokyo from murders, rapists, and thieves, and yet they run from their scary boss. But, Chou thought to himself, Saitou Hajime was possibly scarier than all those types of men put together. To someone who didn't fight in the war, Fugita Guro was the devil incarnate.

"Get out of my sight Chou." Saitou growled and stormed off to his office.

After an hour or so of fuming, Saitou had calmed down enough to allow Chou into his presence. Chou had simply walked in and sat down in the chair in front of Saitou's desk. He propped his feet on the corner of the desk and looked up at the ceiling.

"I have to tell you the truth boss. I was asleep most of the night." Saitou grew angry at this but realized in the next moment that Chou had every right to be asleep. He had been working this case just as hard as himself. He had gone many hours without sleep and it was only expected for him to crash sooner or later. Saitou nodded showing acceptance of Chou's statement.

"Tell me everything you know. The bumbling idiot who came and got me was worthless." Chou snorted.

"You probably made him cry, didn't you?" Saitou narrowed his eyes. Chou smirked. "I knew it. You made that poor boy cry." Saitou growled and Chou went on to tell him all the information he knew.

"The body was found by a woman coming to the station to bail out her drunkard husband. She was walking through the alley behind the station and found the body on the ground. She started screaming bloody murder." Chou stopped and smirked. "You know, I feel kind of bad for the rooster. His cell was almost on top of the screaming woman. She was so loud she woke me up and I was at my desk. Man, that chick was shrill. Hurt my ears! Anyway, the body." Chou looked suddenly looked serious. "He fit the M.O. Just like all the others, well, except for the last kid." He stopped and took a breath. "Boss, I don't think he was dumped there."

Saitou looked Chou in the eye.

"And why would you say that?"

"Because," He paused. "there are marks that make it look like he had crawled."

Saitou sat up. They boy had crawled? He stood and made his way out of the door. He walked out the back entrance of the building and walked over to where the body had been found. He looked around and sure enough there were the tell-tale makes of crawling. He traced them back a couple hundred feet and found an impression in the dirt. Saitou stopped and thought. The boy had clearly been walking and fell here. He then tried to crawl to the door to get help but lost consciousness and died. Saitou turned and started waking back.

He halted though when he reached the spot where the body had been. He thought about what Chou had said earlier. He had said that the Ahou's cell was right where the body was. Saitou Turned slightly and looked down through the window and sure enough he could see the rooster head through the bars. The boy was on the bed with the blanket covering his eyes. Saitou snorted. He should have expected the Ahou to be sleeping at a time like this. Saitou narrowed his eyes. The boy might know something and so he had to be questioned, right away. So with that decided Saitou went back into the building and made his way to the jail cells.

* * *

Sano's migraine was now full blown and he wanted to die. Everything hurt. His eyes hurt, his head felt like it was splitting open and trying to make a run for it, and he felt sick. The room seemed to spin and Sano wanted nothing but to grab onto something and MAKE. IT. STOP.

The far door opening made Sano gasp in pain and the key sliding in the lock to his cell and the turning if it made tears spring to his eyes. In Sano's magnified world, the creaking of the hinges as the door opened pierced though his mind like a spear. He silently whimpered. Nothing could be worse.

He was wrong.

* * *

"Ahou." Saitou spoke. Sano tensed trying not to cry out in pain. He rolled into a small ball and covered his ears with his hands. He pressed down hard trying to block out Saitou's screaming.

"Ahou, I'm getting annoyed. Look at me." Sano prayed silently to make the screaming stop, to make the pain stop. Some where in the back of his pain soaked mind Sano know he had to answer Saitou, he knew Saitou wanted his attention but he couldn't bring himself to open his mouth for fear of either screaming, crying, or throwing up.

Saitou was angry. The Ahou was purposely ignoring him. He growled and crossed over to where the boy was and kicked him, hard.

He was shocked when the boy scream ripped through the air.

* * *

Pain exploded throughout Sano's body as Saitou kicked him. He could no longer control himself and screamed for all he was worth. His body convulsed of its own accord and he writhed on the bed. His own screams echoed in his mind and only added to the impossible pain he felt. The blanket fell and light flooded his eyes. The brilliance blinded him and caused his screams to renew and seemingly double. He threw his hands up over his face in an effort to block the light but to no avail.

Sano suddenly felt arms grab him and hold him down on his back on the bed. A weight settled on his stomach and his hands were wrenched from his face. Saitou's loudly echoed question of concern didn't register through the pain, besides to add to it. He screamed again and again, shook his head from one side to another to try to avoid the light, and tried to communicate what was wrong but somehow Sano knew that he had failed. The pain was never ending. The light was as bright as ever and there was no relief.

Suddenly, heavenly blackness consumed him and the light fled. The weight shifted and pulled his onto his side away from the window and held him there for what seemed a lifetime. Slowly, oh so very excruciatingly slowly, the blinding pain ebbed away. The debilitation pain still stayed though. The weight pulled one of his own hands away from his side and pushed it to his face. He held the blanket to his eyes with a death like grip. He whimpered and buried into the bed.

Sano wanted to die.

Saitou jumped back slightly and simply stared as the boy seemingly convulsed. The rooster's body tensed and Saitou watched as the rolled up blanket fell from his eyes Saitou watched as the eyes widened as the light hit them and he still watched as the boy's scream doubled.

Saitou suddenly snapped out of it as he saw the boy bash his head backwards and appear to try to claw his eyes out. He sprang forward and pulled his hands away from his eyes and sat on the boy's stomach to try to stop the convulsions. Saitou didn't know what was wrong but what ever it was, it was serious. He heard running and turned to see Chou and a few other police officers standing in the cell doorway.

"Chou! Get in here, NOW!" Saitou turned to the Ahou still screaming beneath him.

Chou ran to Saitou's side the instant he heard Saitou's order. He held Sano's head down and kept him from cracking it open. He watched in horror as Sano tried to wrench his head from his grasp.

The boy's voice was becoming slight hoarse from the screams and Saitou's ears wrung from the level of volume. He forced himself to hold him down and as he did so he realized the boy was screaming incoherent words.

"Ahou, what's wrong?! Ahou! Rooster?! SANO?!"

Chou heard Saitou trying to get through to Sano and even though he was worried to death for his friend, Chou still noticed his boss' use of Sano's name.

Saitou looked down on the boy with a feeling he had never really felt before. He didn't like it one bit and couldn't name it. He looked up at Chou holding the boy's head and saw the look on his face. Saitou then realized that both of them were feeling the same thing, helplessness. Saitou turned back to the boy. He was babbling throughout his screams.

"STOP!!... TOO MUCH… AAAARGGHHHH!! MAKE… STOP!! BRIGHT… MUCH… SCREAMING!! LOUD…… BRIGHT!! AAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHH!!" Sudden realization dawned on Saitou. His eyes widened and looked up at Chou.

"The blanket!" Chou looked at him. "The blanket, Chou, he's having a migraine! GET THE BLANKET!!"

Chou looked around and found the blanket to the side just out of reach. He dived for it and threw it to Saitou. Saitou caught it and pushed it to the boy's eyes. Saitou got off his stomach and pulled him to his side. He held him there with his own body and kept the blanket to his eyes. Slowly the screaming receded to sobs and with even more time that became moans and whimpers of pain.

Saitou Slowly and gently reached and brought one of the rooster's hands to the blanket and held it there. He wondered if the rooster understood what Saitou wanted him to do. It soon became apparent that he did when he pushed the blanket tightly against his eyes and held it there. Saitou waited a moment and then got up. He turned to Chou and the others and silently pointed to the door.

Saitou pulled Chou back and waited until the others had left. Chou was about to ask a question but Saitou clamped his hand over Chou's mouth. He shook his head no and nodded over to the rooster who was still huddled on the bed. He pulled his hand away and pointed to the brightly lit window. Chou stood there for a second and then under stood what Saitou wanted. He nodded and left as silently as possible.

Saitou stood in the cell and observed the rooster pull himself into a tight ball. He watched in sympathy as the boy whimpered again. Saitou had had only one migraine in his life and that was more than enough to last a lifetime. He still remembered how painful it had been. All he wanted to do was hide in the dark. The boy, Saitou noticed, was clearly sensitive to both light and sound. People would have to be kept from the cells for at least a few hours and Chou was seeing to the light issue.

Scraping was heard outside and Saitou looked up to see the window being covered with something heavy. The cell became darker immediately. Not dark enough for the rooster to uncover his eyes, but dark enough to help. The boy had gasped and groaned at the noise but other wise kept from showing how much pain he obviously was in. He walked over to the bed and knelt down. He gently examined the back of the rooster's head and was satisfied when he found no bleeding.

He stood and left the cell. He walked back into the main station and found people looking at him. He watched as Chou reentered and motioned for him to approach. When Chou was up next to him Saitou spoke lowly.

"No one enters for at least a couple of hours. You check on him then and make any further decisions. When he's ready, I want to talk to him in my office." Chou nodded and he wasted no further time and went back to his office.

Saitou sat down at his desk and thought to himself. The rooster clearly couldn't be questioned for a few hours. Not even torture would work, not that Saitou would torture the boy. As Saitou sat and thought about what had just happened a thought popped into his head. He sat bolt upright. He had called him Sano.

To say that Saitou Hajime was upset was an understatement.


	7. Chapter 7

Lunch had come and passed by the time that the Ahou had been brought to Saitou's office

Lunch had come and passed by the time that the Ahou had been brought to Saitou's office. Saitou was leaning against the open window and had just lit a cigarette when the knock sounded on his door.

"Come in." Saitou said taking a drag from the lit stick. He turned as the door opened and saw Chou walk in with a strained face. He opened the door wider and stepped aside. Nothing happened. Saitou raised an eyebrow as Chou cursed.

"Get in here, Rooster Head! I don't have all day." There was silence and Saitou watched Chou narrow his eyes. "What do you mean 'no'? Get your ass in here!"

Saitou observed a slight movement from outside the door and realized that the Ahou was shaking his head. Chou growled and reached into the hallway and grabbed the Ahou and yanked him into the room. He stumbled, righted himself, and glared at Chou. The rooster looked around briefly. When his and Saitou's eyes met the rooster looked away. Saitou chuckled and nodded for Chou to leave. Chou smirked and closed the door on his way out. He and the rooster were alone.

The boy was nervous, that was clear. Saitou watched him shift from one foot to another. He noticed black circles under the boy's eyes and the general air of tiredness about him.

"Ahou." The boy's head jerked up at this. Saitou saw the boy's eyes flood with anger and then become tinged with pain. The boy looked down again and away from him. Saitou grew slightly annoyed until he realized that the sun from the open window was still bright. "Are your eyes still sensitive?"

The rooster nodded slightly and Saitou sighed. He turned and closed the window and drew the curtains. The room grew a bit darker and Saitou observed the rooster relax slightly.

"Now that you are able to answer some questions," Saitou started. The rooster's cheeks flushed slightly and Saitou smirked. He walked over to his desk and sat down. He looked up. "Sit down, Ahou. You make my feet hurt just watching you."

The boy glared at Saitou and walked over to the chairs that sat in front of the desk. He grabbed one and pulled it backed a couple of feet. He plopped down with an angry huff which Saitou ignored. Saitou picked up a stack of paperwork and started to fill it out.

* * *

"What do you want, Saitou?" Sano asked after a few moments of silence. Saitou continued to finish the report that was on top of the stack. Sano glared and looked about the room. It was sparsely finished, containing only a sturdy desk, three chairs, and a couch on the wall to the right of the door. Sano looked it over and determined that Saitou must have used it a lot. It was worn and looked to have many years to its name. It was a dark blue color and now that Sano thought about it, looked very comfortable.

Sano nearly laughed. Who would have imagined that Saitou would have comfortable things? No, that wasn't right. Sano looked over to the swordsman and studied him.

Saitou was the type of person that could fool a lot of people. Hell, Sano was sure that the bastard was fooling himself even. The truth of the matter, Sano reckoned, was that the man pretended to be other people more often than he was himself. The man must have found being someone else more appealing. Sano narrowed his eyes. In fact, now that he thought about it, Saitou had been pretending to be a medicine peddler the first, unfortunate, time they met. Sano quietly growled. Now he remembered why he had hated the cricket. The man was a top grade bastard of the first order. He did nothing but ignore others, insult others, hurt others, and of course, kill others. Buda forbid Saitou's precious motto be forgotten even for a moment.

The man had a superiority complex. He also had a very large stick up his ass. Both of which should be broken. Oh how Sano wanted nothing but to get another good punch in. Take that smirk down a peg or two.

But, for a man that so obviously loved causing others pain, he was also a man that chose his fights well. Sano had to acknowledge that for all the times that Saitou had hurt him, there were twice as many times that he hadn't; the near misses not included. Saitou Hajime had his own twisted and warped sense of honor and kindness. Humor as well.

To put in plainly, the man was an enigma. He was one way one moment and as soon as you think you have some understanding of him, he changes and becomes something else the next. He was unpredictable. Sano could only imagine that it was the cockroach's constant changing that kept him alive during the war.

The bastard could do almost anything. He survived Shishio's inferno after all. He could blend in with the elite if he so chose. That got Sano thinking. Saitou Hajime was, clearly, a refined man. He knew of the finer things, could evidently afford them, and seemed to be at ease with them. The man's every move screamed grace and power. Sano could tell from the way that he removed his gloves. He moved fluently and without falter. Sano tilted his head.

The more Sano thought about it, the more Sano could picture Saitou asleep on the couch.

The cold water splashing on his face brought Sano from his reflections. His head whipped up and he growled. Saitou was frowning and looked a bit annoyed.

"Ahou. I've been calling your name for the past minute."

"So? That doesn't give you a right to throw fucking water in my face!"

"I think it does." Saitou simply stated. He slid the finished work into a drawer and faced Sano. "Ahou, I don't have time for this."

"Then why have you been ignoring me if you didn't have the time?!"

"Hn. There was paperwork I needed to get done. I didn't know how long this would take." Saitou paused while Sano fumed. "You're here because you miht have witnessed something last night."

Saitou watched as Sano's hands, busy with wiping away the water from his face, stilled. His eyes turned to Saitou's.

"And what would I have witnessed, cricket face? I was in JAIL!!" He finished with a scream. Saitou scowled at him and continued on.

"Not that you have a right to know, but there was a murder last night." Sano stopped glaring and looked puzzled.

"A murder, how has that anything to do with me?"

"Because, Ahou, the boy managed to drag himself to the police station only to die in the alley behind. By your window, might I add?"

Sano merely sat there in stunned silence. The tension filled to air as Sano began to understand what Saitou had just told him.

"Was it… was it the rapist?" Sano hesitantly asked.

* * *

Saitou looked at the boy. There he was sitting in the chair, or should he say huddled in the chair, opposite him, and was soaking wet. Saitou felt slightly bad for the boy. He didn't even know how much to tell him. The kid was smarter than people thought but was he smart enough to be able to handle this? Saitou decided to test the waters.

"And if it was? How would that help?" Sano jerked upright.

"How would that help?! You would know that that BASTARD had hurt another person. That dead boy's family would know that that MONSTER was the one that took their loved one's life!" He stood up and slammed his hands down onto the desk. "That boy, Saitou, was someone's son! Someone's brother, nephew, uncle even! He was someone's pride and joy! How dare you ask 'how would knowing who killed that boy help'!"

Saitou observed the kid's outburst with interest. He watched as he blew out of steam and decided to cut in before the boy somehow managed to work up more energy for a second eruption.

"Yes. How would you, Ahou, YOU knowing, help? The police know of course and so then will the family of the boy, when his identity is known. YOU knowing doesn't help anything." Saitou told the boy straight out. He watched as the rooster became dejected. That settled that, Saitou thought. He wouldn't tell him.

* * *

"I don't know how that would help. I really don't. But sometimes, sometimes, it wouldn't hurt to let others in on things, you know?" Sano said looking away.

"Since when have I ever 'let you in on things', as you put it?"

"Never, that's the problem. You blatantly ignore me, or beat the shit out of me; and Kenshin, well, Kenshin doesn't tell me jack shit because he 'cares about me' too damn much. I'm left in the dark and I hate it." Sano continued on to himself. "How am I supposed to live my life when others refuse to allow me to? I can't live a life in ignorance. That's no life at all."

* * *

Saitou listened to the boy's speech and was slightly amazed at the well spoken words. He silently thought about how those words and ideas were instilled in the youth before him. Something suddenly struck Saitou.

He looked at the boy, really looked, and possibly for the first time, saw something that he had never seen before, true intelligence; a kind of intelligence that most people never had until they were much older. Saitou had looked into the boy's eyes during his impassioned speech and saw the wisdom in them. He had also seen something that had left Saitou slightly troubled; he just didn't know what it was.

This boy in front of him was an enigma.

"So, Ahou, did you see anything last night?" the kid jerked around and looked at him for a moment. His eyes fell over to the closed curtains and stayed there. Saitou grew annoyed after a moment or two of silence and was about to interrupt the silence when the boy spoke.

"Last night, I don't know when, I heard something. I thought it was another prisoner but I must have been wrong. It was a groan, I guess. It was quiet and I only heard it once." He looked to Saitou. "He was out there all night. Just laying there, hurt. He could have been saved."

"No, Ahou, he couldn't have been. I spoke with the doctor. No normal person could have survived those injuries. He would have died anyway."

"But he wouldn't have died alone." Silence reigned between them again. "He could have told you what that monster looked like."

"I know that. Do not presume I don't." Saitou snapped. The rooster looked at him.

"That's all I know. Am I free to go? I spent the night in your crappy ass jail. If that wasn't enough then fuck you." Saitou turned back to his desk. He waved his hand in dismissal. He watched the boy walk to the door out of the corner of his eye. He also watched as the boy jerked to a stop.

"My coat!" He spun around. "Where's my coat?!"

"I don't know Ahou. Why, is it important to you?" Saitou said slightly menacing. The boy looked at him for a moment and the panicked look on his face was slightly humorous. Then the panic disappeared and was replaced with a look of calm. He smiled good naturedly and rubbed the back of his head.

"Nah, it's not that important to me. I just thought it would be a shame to lose something that would keep me warm." He turned back to the door and opened it.

"Ahou." He turned around. Saitou was looking at him.

"Be…" He stopped for a moment and continued. "Careful not get your sorry ass arrested again. I'm too busy to be babysitting you."

* * *

Sano just stood there for what seemed a life time before he realized he had to move. He smirked and flipped the cricket bastard off. Sano turned and strolled out of the building, passing Chou on his way out. He didn't notice Chou watching him. He also didn't see Chou stand up and head to Saitou's office with a black lump as soon as he was out the door.

As he walked down the street Sano couldn't help but shiver from the cold. He hated that he had had to leave without the coat David had given him but, Sano knew that it would have been a mistake to tell Saitou that it had meant something to him. If he had, he was sure that Saitou would have looked into it. Had he done that, he would have been led right to them; and that was something that Sano could not allow.

He'd just have to deal with the cold. After all, he should be used to it by now.

Shouldn't he?


	8. Chapter 8

Kenshin was not the type of person to get worked up over little things.

During the war he handled his missions with effectiveness and promptness. He planned new tactics and escape routes for each scenario that he could possibly think of; an extra, unwanted person, the absence of the target, rain, no rain, too much light, not enough light, body guards, female companions, and even the rarer male companion. He thought up a situation and he made a solution to it. So if and when something went wrong, he handled it. He went into every situation with knowing how to handle it.

That was, until Sagara Sanosuke came along. Sanosuke was a different thing all together. He defied all logic. The more Kenshin thought about Sano the more he began to realize, much to his annoyance, the boy was simply uncontrollable. He changed too much. One way one moment and another way the next; though to everyone that wasn't sharp enough to notice, he merely stayed to same.

Kenshin sat in the yard with his hands in the laundry thinking back on the night before last. Sano had stayed at his insistence, that much Kenshin knew he could get Sano to do. Though as the night progressed, he found himself woken for no reason. His senses were telling him something was off. He had decided to make the rounds and had gotten up quietly. He slid the door open and walked to Yahiko's room to see the boy was sound asleep and snoring, wrapped tightly in his sheets. Kenshin shook his head smiling and made his way to Sanosuke's room.

The bed was empty. Sano was gone. Kenshin automatically felt irritation and anger rise up in him. He had told Sano to stay at the dojo. Kenshin glared at the empty futon and decided to see if the young idiot was still in the area. As he made his way to the main door a light from the kitchen caught his attention. He crept slowly and quietly towards the door and slid it open without a sound.

Sano was standing with his back to him, his head against the door frame to the outer door.

"Sanosuke?" He asked the young man. Kenshin watched as Sano nearly jumped through the roof and swiftly turn around after. He noticed the slight paleness to Sano's face and was concerned. "Are you alright?" he had asked.

"Yeah, Kenshin, I'm fine. You just startled me. That's all." Sano had tried to smile but seemed to fail horribly. The young man was clearly tense about something so Kenshin had done the only thing he could think of to try to settle Sano down. He had apologized.

"Oh, well I'm sorry, that I am." The battousai buried deep in his subconscious inwardly winced at the ending of the sentence.

"Yeah, well, it's okay." Sano walked over to the sink and set the cup down. He turned around and looked at Kenshin. Kenshin stood and looked Sano in the eye. The feeling that his young friend was staring into his soul would not leave him, no matter how much Kenshin had tried to argue that Sano could not possibly, in point, stare into his soul.

"Kenshin?" Sano's calling of his name slightly startled him. He quickly looked at his friend and decided he wanted to sit.

"Yes, Sano?" Kenshin asked while walking over to the table.

"I was wonderin'" Sano came over as well and took the seat across from him.

"Yes." Kenshin looked Sano in the eyes.

"You didn't seem overly surprised when you saw Saitou today." The accusation hung silently in the air between the two. Kenshin looked at Sano and wanted to scream at and for some reason maim the young man sitting across from him for even mentioning that name. With Sano it always came back to Saitou, that bastard. Kenshin sighed.

"Yes, Sano, I knew that he was alive." He watched as Sano's eyes widened.

"Why? Why didn't you tell me?" He could clearly hear the hurt and disbelief in the words.

"What would that have done?" He looked Sano in the eyes, gave him a cool look, and asked Sano seriously. "How would you knowing have helped the situation? Saitou didn't want any contact with any of us. I only found out by accident."

Which was true; him overhearing a couple of officers speak about a returning hard ass detective automatically sent warning bells off in his mind. After that he went to the police station and demanded to see Fujita Guro. When Kenshin laid eyes upon Saitou his blood seemed to both boil and run cold at the same time. He had managed to escape Shishio's fortress and to top it off, the bastard got a promotion for it as well. Kenshin's musing was interrupted by Sano.

"Kenshin," Sano had started but then had stopped. He stood and looked Kenshin straight in the eye. "We fought side by side. We were comrades, allies," he paused. Kenshin was dreading what was going to come out of his friend's mouth next. "friends." Damn. "Why do you think that I wouldn't want to know that he was alive? That he was alright." Sano shook his head slowly. "You know, even after all you've preached about how different you and Saitou are, you two are pretty much the same."

Silence hung in the air. The words wrung and wrung in Kenshin's mind. Sano was comparing him to Saitou? To SAITOU?! Sano stood and walked to the door. He had placed his hand of the frame when Kenshin laid his hand upon Sano's. Kenshin had to suppress the urge to pull Sano back and force him to take back that horrible insult he had just uttered.

"That is not fair Sano that it is not." Fury was all that Kenshin felt. He could not control the anger that seeped into his voice and he looked Sano in the eye.

"No, Kenshin, it's not fair." He had met Kenshin stare for stare. "It's not fair at all." Sano had then pulled his hand away and walked out the outside door instead.

"Sano!" Kenshin called after him; immediately regretting his loss of control. "Please, come back."

"No Kenshin." Sano continued walking to the main gate. "I'll see you around."

"Sano!" Kenshin followed after him quickly. He couldn't allow Sano to leave. Even though he was upset with him, Sano was still his friend and he didn't want any harm to come to him. "Come back inside." He made sure it did not sound like a request. "It is not safe out here right now that it is not."

He watched as Sano stopped, as he turned. Kenshin took an involuntary step back from the rage in Sanosuke's eyes.

"Don't you ever get tired of being superior to others Kenshin? You're so much stronger and faster than everyone else that we all just follow your lead and do as you say; no hesitation, no questions asked. I'm tired of it. I'm tired of all of this. All I want to do I go home. I'm not allowed to do even that!" A tiny instinct in the back of Kenshin's mind told him to cower. It was easily repressed. He decided to try reason.

"Sano, I understand. But it's not safe out…"

"Stop it!" Sano had yelled. Kenshin cringed. Karou was surely to wake up now and an angry Karou was the last thing he needed right now when he already had an angry Sano. "I know that! I am not some stupid little child that can't make its own choices! I'm tired of you making my choices for me!"

"Sano," Kenshin started trying to calm the youth down. "I do not make choices for you." He watched as Sano had stared coolly at him. Something was telling Kenshin he didn't want to hear what Sano was going to say next.

"You left me behind when you went to Kyoto." Kenshin wanted to flinch. "You tried to leave me behind at the Aoi-ya." Another, stronger, urge to flinch. "You chose a revolutionist free life for me." This time he did flinch. Though he doubted that Sano noticed in his anger. "No major choice of mine is made by me alone. Either you make it for me or you help me make it. I am tired of it Kenshin. And I see no way of being free of it!" Sano had finished with an anguished cry. Kenshin watched Sano for a moment and took in what he had said. After a moment or two Kenshin asked a question that was burning to be asked.

"I had no idea you felt this way. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you would have tried to fix things whether I wanted you to or not." Kenshin watched as Sanosuke turned around and walked out the door. "See you later Kenshin." And he was gone.

It was a little fight, no, a simple temperamental outburst on Sano's part. He would just let the youth calm down and he would wait for him to come around the next day like he normally did.

But when breakfast and then lunch came and went without any sign of Sano, Kenshin couldn't help but wonder. So he had done the logical thing. He had gone to Sano's apartment. A murder had taken place close by but Kenshin knew that that wasn't an uncommon occurrence in this part of the city. Really, Sano needed to find a better neighborhood.

When he had reached Sano's apartment, Kenshin had found it empty. He had frowned and went home. His young friend was probably off pouting from last night still. He'd go back to the dojo and wait.

But when Yahiko had come back and informed him that after searching his apartment, Katsu's place, and his bars and gambling hangouts, and he couldn't find Sano anywhere, a cold feeling swept through him. But Kenshin realized that Sano left all the time. He was gone for a whole month wasn't he? Now that he thought about it, Sano being gone was a little thing.

And Kenshin was not the type of person to get worked up over little things.

* * *

Saitou stood by the window and looked out. Well, glared out would be more appropriate. He was forming a slight headache from all the stupidity around him. He turned and looked at the coat which was lying on his desk. The rooster's coat. The coat that Chou had taken from the kid without him even noticing. Saitou narrowed his eyes. He walked over and picked it up.

It was black, which was so painfully obvious. It was made of heavy, high-quality cotton, expertly died, and most damningly, was in the clothing style of those damned foreigners from the west. Saitou looked at it closely and then brought it up to his nose. Alcohol. This was, without a doubt, the rooster's coat.

Hm, curious. He looked at it again and pulled the collar up. There was a tag on it. Saitou took note on the name of the maker, Jaeger. Saitou looked away. That name sounded familiar.

The sound of hesitant footsteps in the hall causes Saitou to curse silently. Just what he needed, more idiots. The knock on the door was rapid and Saitou could practically smell the fear. He grinned. He loved fear.

"Enter." He growled. There was silence and then the door swung open slowly. In the doorway a young police officer stood almost quaking in his fear of his superior officer. Good. "What do you want, boy? It had better be good or I'll skin you alive." The fear in the boy's eyes was priceless.

"Um, um, um…" He stuttered and played with his hands. Saitou's headache intensified.

"WELL?!" Saitou roared. The officer jumped and opened his mouth to answer. Nothing came out. Saitou was fed up. "Get out of my sight now or you're fired!"

The officer "eeped" and just about fell in his rush to obey his superior. Saitou glared and went over to slam the door. When he reached the doorway he spotted Chou leaning against the opposite wall.

"Well? What do you want? You better not be slacking, Chou!" Chou looked him in the eye and shook his head.

"You nearly made that poor boy cry boss."

"CHOU!!"

"Alright, alright." Chou held up hands in a placating gesture. "Since scaredy boy didn't tell you I guess I will." Chou took a deep breath. He announced "Himura's here to see you." And ran for his life.

Saitou merely glared at the wall where Chou's head used to be. Damn it. He didn't want Himura to learn of the Ahou's arrest so he decided to lie. He didn't really care though. Himura would and often did lie to him. So, in Saitou's opinion, he'd merely be returning the favor.

* * *

Saitou was sitting at his desk when Kenshin walked in with a glare. Kenshin stomped over to Saitou and slammed his palms down onto the desk.

"Where is Sano?!" Saitou calmly looked Kenshin in the eye.

"I do not know where the ahou is. Do I look like his keeper?"

"You work for the police! No, you ARE the police!" Kenshin continued to glare. "You always know."

"Well, I am sorry to tell you that I do not know. He disappeared after he showed up at his apartment."

"wait, you saw him?" Kenshin stood up straight.

"Yes." Saitou simply stated.

"When?" Saitou let out an annoyed sigh.

"I told you Himura, when he showed up at his apartment."

"When."

"The day after he disappeared."

"He was alright?"

"He was." Kenshin's face flooded with relief.

"But why didn't he let me know he was okay? Especially after he left that night."

"I do not presume to know. But I have a feeling that it's the same reason he didn't tell you where he was that entire month." Saitou and Kenshin locked stares.

"And you would know Saitou-san?" False politeness dripped with every word.

"Yes."

"And how? Did you have someone follow him? Did one of your men _interrogate_ him? Or better yet, perhaps you beat it out of him!"

"No."

"Well then, HOW?!"

"He told me."

Kenshin let out a harsh laugh. "Oh really? Sano would volunteer this information? He would till you and not me?"

"Apparently." Kenshin slammed his hands on the desk again.

"I don't believe you!"

"Believe me or not; I don't care."

Silence enveloped the room.

"Where?" Saitou ignored the question. "Where, Saitou?"

"Where what, Himura?"

"Where was he?"

"It is not my place to tell. If the rooster wanted you to know, he would have told you. Now, wouldn't he have?" Kenshin and Saitou shared a look of pure hatred. Kenshin turned and left. The door closed with a quiet click.

Saitou turned back to his work that he had put aside earlier.

"Himura is an ahou." Saitou stopped writing. No, he wasn't an ahou. He was stupid. The boy was the ahou. He started to write again. Yes, Himura was stupid.

* * *

In his apartment Sano stood looking around, his gaze shifted from one object to another; the upturned piles of paper, the dirty clothes, the rumpled and horrible futon, the horrible emptiness. Sano shivered as a blast of cold wind blew in through the open door. He walked over and slid the door shut, turned back around, and stared into the darkness.

Sano had wandered around for an hour or so after being released from the police station. He walked down the streets with hunched shoulders and had to duck continuously into alleys so he could reclaim a small bit of warmth, only to have it leeched it out of him again when he ducked out of the alley after only a few minutes of rest.

The city seemed withdrawn and hostile, people would look at him suspiciously when he passed by their booths. He ignored the snotty looks and attitudes and instead concentrated on which of those people had smiled at him when he actually had

Damn, his coat, that was another thing that Sano could add to his list of the things that he'd messed up and that Adam was going to find out about. Sano looked over to the corner that held his dirty clothes. He slowly walked over to it and squatted down in front of the pile. He gingerly lifted some clothes and extracted the box from where he had placed it the day previous.

Sano let out a breath that he'd been unconsciously holding. It was still there. He sat down on the clothes and held the oak box in his lap. He lightly traced the ornate design that was inlaid in the lid. The box was Jonathan and Heather's idea. In this box Sano kept his most prized possessions.

When a tear fell on his box he blinked rapidly to get rid of the others. He layed the wooden box down in front of him and pulled his legs up against his chest. He stared at the box and shivered as the cold seeped through the thin walls of his crappy apartment.

Heather had always tried to be the big, brave sister he never had. She had been the first one to try to get him to talk about what happened to him after his body had healed enough. She'd been so patient and understanding that it made him hate her for the longest time.

Sano had been angry, in pain, hurting, and he wanted others to hurt like him. Heather withstood his temperaments and blowups and his lashings. She had taken every hurtful thing he'd said; and smiled. She had smiled a sad heartbreaking smile, but smiled none the less. She had hurt. She hadn't been hurt by what he said but instead she had hurt _with_ him. That had made the difference.

Jonathan was a different story. Jonathan was an uptight, worrisome, know-it-all, hypochondriac who did nothing but obsess about getting his reports in. For every glare, threat, and yell Sano threw at him, he glared, threatened, and yelled right back. Jonathan took no crap and Sano learned that the hard way.

Three months after Adam brought him to the island, Sano was still vicious to everyone around him. Everyone besides Adam that is. One day after Sano and screamed and lashed out at him, Jonathan had had enough. He grabbed Sano and yanked him up of the floor and out the room. He dragged Sano kicking and screaming out of the private quarters and out into the open court yard for everyone to see.

On that painful trip they passed Adam and David. Sano had yelled to Adam for help but Adam merely watched as Jonathan yanked him past. David had winced at a particular harsh yank and whispered something to Adam. Adam merely shook his head no.

Sano had been literally carried to the large fountain in the middle of the compound and thrown into the ice cold water. He adjusted to being soaked and lunged at Jonathan, who grabbed him and dumped him back into the water. That process occur several times until Sano just climbed out of the water and crawled away. He had cussed and called Jonathan a son-of-a-bitch-bastard and had been picked back up and dumped into the fountain. Sano started to cry in frustration when Jonathan offered his hand to him. Sano slapped it away and crawled out again. He made it as far as 10 feet when he was picked up again. He let out a chocked sob and the arms tightened around him.

"Kid, you need to learn to control yourself." Jonathan's baritone voice wrung softly by Sano's ear. "You have so much anger that you don't know how to deal with people. You lash out and you hurt them."

Sano started to shiver from the cold. He felt as he was laid back in bed. Jonathan took his soaked clothes off and started to dry him off. Sano kept his eyes closed. He felt hands dress him in warm dry clothing. Those same hands ran through his hair and a moment later he heard a sigh.

"Sano, I know you've been through a lot, you lost a father and your friend, you were hurt in an unforgivable way, but you can't keep going like this. Kid, you're hurting more than us, you're hurting yourself even more." Another sigh. "You need to deal with what happened."

Sano started to shake again and was startled when soft arms suddenly enveloped him. He opened his eyes to see, through Heather's arms, Jonathan looking down at him. He was frowning and looked at Heather.

"You coddle him."

"Well, what do you expect? How do expect me to react when I walk out of the main building to see you throwing him into the fountain repeatedly?!"

"I had enough of his attitude"

"So you decided to throw him into ice cold water?" Jonathan looked her in the eye.

"Yes. The little piss deserved it."

"Jonathan!"

"Well, I had enough!" They glared at each other and Heather looked back down at Sano.

"Sano though I hate to agree with Jonathan," she glared at him again and looked down. "He's right."

Sano looked into her brown eyes and shook his head and growled. She sighed and Jonathan frowned.

"Look you little shit!"

"Jonathan!"

"Do you want me to throw you back in? Because I will!"

"Get out!"

"What?"

"You heard me! Get out. You're not helping."

"Fine. I'll behave." She glared at him until she was sure he was honest. She turned back to Sano.

"Honey, you need to face what happened." Sano shook his head again. She gently grabbed hold of his chin and held it until he looked at her. "Yes. Even if it's only once."

Then she had held Sano for a little while longer while Jonathan had gotten paper and a pen. She helped him talk about the night Captain Sagara died and the months after that and the night that Adam found him. She listened and ran her fingers through his hair when he couldn't go on. Jonathan watched and wrote it down because Sano did not know how and Heather was busy keeping the boy from falling completely apart.

Sano broke down sobbing and Heather held him until he fell asleep. She tucked him in and the two left quietly. The next month Jonathan took Sano to the edge of the island where Heather had set up a picnic for them.

Later that afternoon the two sat Sano down and gave him a gift.

"A box?" he asked looking at Heather. She smiled.

"Not just any box. It's a secret box. Just for you. You can put all your precious and important things in here and lock them away." She looked at Jonathan who nodded and pulled out a piece of paper.

"Sano, do you know what this is?" Sano looked at him and at the paper. He looked at it for a moment, narrowed his eyes, and nodded. "Do you know you're going to do with it?" He shook his head and hid in Heather's arms.

"Honey, you're going to take it and lock it up in this box." Sano looked up at her.

"Why?"

"Well, when you don't want to deal with things you tend to want to hide them from others and from yourself. If you lock it away in here it will always be safe and no one will be able to get to it but you. So one day when you're old enough and wise enough to handle it you can take it out and deal with it." Heather said kindly looking Sano in the eye. He looked up at her and over to Jonathan.

"Do I have to open it?" Jonathan looked at him sadly.

"Sorry Kid, but you're going to have to open it one day." He watched as Sano flinched back Heather's arms. He sighed. "But not for a while. Not until you're much older."

Sano looked at him for a while and then nodded. He looked down at the box and tried to open it. It wouldn't budge. He looked at both of his friends is confusion. They smiled.

"You have to move the picture on top around until you make another picture. Then it will open. Only the three of us know how to open it and Heather and I aren't going to tell anyone, kid." They showed Sano how to open the box and then Sano locked it away. His worst secret.

Sano jerked awake at the sound of thunder. His eyes found the box and he watched it as if it was going to bite him like a rattle snake. After a while, he slowly reached towards it and picked it up. He held it in his hands and started to shake.

The room echoed eerily as he whispered into the dark.

"My worst secret."


	9. Chapter 9

* * *

Chou was once again at his desk completing paperwork on the case. That sick monster had killed again only the previous night. Chou wanted to bash his head against the desktop; they just couldn't seem to be able to catch the guy. The murderer was getting from the scene leaving little or sometimes no evidence at all. Saitou was getting more and more upset with each day, he was impossible to work with now.

Chou stood and stretched after filling in the last line and decided to go for food. He grabbed his coat and headed for the little bar down the street. It wasn't the best, but in Chou's opinion, being reasonably cheap beats quality any day.

An hour later, after he'd sat down and ordered his beef pot and drink, he dug into his meal with relish. Because of the case he'd only eaten whenever he could get a bite, and when Saitou wouldn't have noticed. He grimaced, Saitou, was slowly driving him insane. Chou hadn't had a decent meal and a good rest since the body outside the police station.

"Could this be any pissier?" A guy's complaining voice caught Chou's attention. He still ate and drank but kept his ears open for some unknown reason.

"Oh just shut the fuck up, man." Another guy countered. "We should be lucky to even get out this late."

It was past midnight Chou grumbled to himself, Saitou the 'Oh Mighty Dictator' told him he couldn't leave until he got every piece of paperwork done, the bastard.

"Like I should be grateful that that little pretty boy decided to let us leave on break for once?!"

"Yeah. You should be. He's only looking out for you, kid. Do you even know about that sick fuck that's grabbing kids like you and killin' em?" Chou had to fight the urge to turn around and look. He understood that one of the two was old and the other young and that the young one apparently looked like the victims.

"I don't care! I can handle my fuckin' self! Michael…"

"No names! You know that as well as I do. No. Names." The older man growled out; interesting.

"Fine! Pretty boy can go screw himself." The younger huffed out.

"You better watch your mouth you upstart. Pretty boy can toss you out in the streets and then where'd you be? HUH? Where? I'll tell you where! Dead in some gutter after the first good winning streak that comes your way. Your money gone and your life gone. Hell," the voice lowered it volume and Chou had to strain to hear it. "Maybe even your cherry."

"OH HELL MAN! SHUT THE FUCK UP! THAT'S SICK!!" The younger man shot up from the table he was at; the chair he was sitting in fell back onto the floor.

"Oh calm down!!" Chou heard the other man yank the poor sickened youth down to sit in another chair. "But it's true though. Especially with that sick fuck still on the loose. Why do you think Boss never let you go out when you're on break?" Silence.

"Because you never wanted to go out and apparently I need a baby sitter." He sounded offended and the older man chuckled.

"Yeah. But also because you seem to be the monster's type. Boss doesn't want you out alone."

"Damn it! That I understand, but why the hell does it have to be you?"

"I don't know. I'm the strongest out of all the other guys. That might have something to do with it. Listen, I'm done talkin' about this. Let's just get some more drinks and head back to the bar."

"Why do you have to ruin my good time?! We just fuckin' got here!"

"Boss wants us back so we're goin' back, boy." The older man growled. The younger grumbled and the two got up and walked to the door. The younger man passed Chou and he could get a good look at him. Yep, he fit the profile. Guess he wasn't going home right away. Chou paid to bar tender and walked out following the two men. He'd see them to where ever they're going and stay to make sure the younger kid got home safe. Then he'd go home himself, crash, and sleep away the precious day off he'd managed to get. Mind you it was a mandatory day off the chief had forced him and Saitou to take but, as Chou smiled to himself, it was still a day off.

Chou's musings were cut short when a hand came out of nowhere and slammed him into the building behind. The face of the older man came into view and his eyes narrowed.

"What the fuck do you want? Maybe I should kill you." Chou shook his head and choked out.

"Po…police" The man's eyes widened and he dropped Chou. Chou started to cough and rub his throat where the hands had been.

"Shit! You attached an officer! We are so in trouble." Chou stood and raised a hand to get their attention. He coughed again.

"Shit! I am so sorry. I didn't think you were a police officer!" Chou shook his head.

"It's alright." He gave a small pained smile. "You are strong." The older man became suspicious.

"Why were you following us?" He looked around.

"I was making sure you got to where ever you were going unbothered. But I'm sure you can take care of yourselves."

"So you're gonna leave?" The younger man asked. Chou shook his head.

"Even though you can take care of yourself it's still my duty. I have an obligation to fulfill." Both men looked at each other and the older man shook his head.

"No." Chou looked at him squarely in the eye.

"Well then, I just head back and report my assault." He turned around and started to walk off.

"Damn it! Alright wait!" a pause. "You can follow us but you can't tell our Boss what happened just now." Chou turned and smirked.

"Deal."

* * *

Kimi-Ko's was an extraordinarily well kept bar that was about 20 minutes from the police station. It was a large establishment and though it seemed to be unpopular, one look at the patrons would quickly change your mind. People from the well to do and privilege drank here freely, common people took up the front main room and the poorer were allowed in if they could pay and if they kept out of trouble.

The one thing Chou noticed through the diversity was that everyone was treated the same. If you were poor you were still treated with the respect of a gentleman, it also went the other way. If you were the rich and didn't think to pay, you were tossed out on your ass and barred for months. Chou quite liked it.

He sat down at the bar and decided to wait for the younger man to get done with work.

"Hey, Blondie." Chou looked at the caller.

The bartender was blonde like himself, long hair, tall, blue eyes, and a large smile.

"You follow those boys back?" He nodded his head towards the back store room where the two men disappeared minutes before.

"I don't suppose it's any of your business." Chou looked at the bartender with a raised eyebrow. "Is it?" Chou saw a momentary flash in the tender's eyes. He was interested now.

"It is if you're going to start something." He looked at Chou for a moment. He turned to the customer to Chou's left and poured her some more sake. He winked at her and turned back to Chou. He merely looked at him until Chou caved.

"Alright, look. I did follow them. I wanted to make sure that nothing happened." He watched the bar tender nod to continue. Chou sighed. "I was planning on walking the younger guy home."

The bar tender frowned. "Why?"

"You know the murders happening around Tokyo?" Another nod. "Well, he looks like some of the victims."

"So you're going to play gentleman and walk your date home?" He said with a grin. Chou narrowed his eyes.

"I don't know if you're insulting me or trying to find out which way I lean." The bar keep let out a short soft laugh.

"Honey, you may be cute, but you're not my type." he said with a good-natured wink. Chou's eyes widened a fraction and felt his mouth drop open into a small 'oh'. The Bar keep chuckled, reached forward, and closed Chou's mouth. He walked away for a moment or two and then came back. He handed Chou a menu and said with a smile. "Well, if you're sure about walking Sung back then you're going to be waiting for a little while. And while you're waiting you're going to be drinking something."

Chou opened his mouth to argue but got cut off, the blonde told him that the bar's unbreakable policy was 'buy shit or get the fuck out,' a policy made by one of the owners. Chou shook his head and ordered the least lethal drink they had. He choked when he swallowed. He turned his head to the blond who was chatting with another patron and glared. The Tender smiled sweetly and went back to talking; Chou growled.

A few minutes later the blonde came back and Chou held up the glass.

"Water." The blonde looked innocently at him. "I paid for plain water."

"No." He smiled again. "You paid for flavored water." He took the glass from Chou's hand and took a swig. Chou's eyes widened in astonishment. "Strawberry by the taste." Chou glared and took the glass back. He grumbled and continued to nurse it.

After an hour or so Chou looked over to the tender.

"How much longer?" The tender looked over and seemed to think it over.

"About half an hour I'd guess." True to his word a half hour later the youth came out looking tired and unhappy. He saw Chou and glared. He turned around and started to walk away.

"Sung." The bar tender called from beside Chou. The young man stopped but did not turn. The blond sighed. "Get back here."

He hesitated and then came walking over to Chou and the tender. He glared and Chou and turned his glare to the tender. Chou noticed the tender frown dissaprovingly from the corner of his eye. The boy seemed to cow under the subtle gaze. Chou was surprised that the boy seemed to be intaimidated by this gentle and easygoing guy. Chou certainly wasn't.

"I don't need a god damn sitter." He mumbled looking away. The tender looked at him.

"Even so, you're getting one." He turned to Chou and his smile returned. "Sung is a stupid troublemaker but we're hoping he'll grow out of it." Chou snorted and thought that the kid reminded him of the rooster head.

"He's like someone I know." The tender raised an eye brow questioningly and for some reason Chou wanted to elxplain. "I guess you could call him a friend; though I doubt that he thinks of himself that way. He looks a lot like that kid there actually." The tender's smile seemed to falter, but for an instant only and escaped Chou's notice.

"Really?" He asked curiously.

"Yeah. He's this street punk who like's to pick fights. He doesn't like to listen to athourity and gets arrested all the time." The blond chuckled at this and kept smiling. "But even if he gets into trouble a lot, Sano's a good guy. Well kid, ready to go?" Chou looked at the youth who was glaring at him.

"I don't need some police pig walkin' me home." Chou's anger rose but was soon quelled when the tender spoke with an icy voice.

"Sung, apologise to the officer right now and then get out. I will not tolorate such rudeness here." Chou turned to look at the blonde and was slightly shocked at the difference he saw in his eyes. The blonde's gaze was pure ice and fury and it was all directed at the boy. The boy shivered at the bartender's cold stare but refused to give in.

"Why should I? I don't need a god damn sitter, Boss!" Chou's eyes snapped to the youth and then to the tender. The blonde was the boss? Chou looked closer at the blonde, he couldn't understand it before but one look at the cold eyes and he could understand it now. The boy's boss answered in a freezing voice.

"Apologize and I might just allow you to return to work. If not, then you're fired without pay and you will never be allowed back. I will ban you from not only this bar but all the bars in the area. I will not tolerate such insolence."

Sung looked at his boss and then to Chou. He glared but gave in.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? Don't let it go to your head. I still don't want you any where near me but I want my job more." He looked to the blonde who watched Sung for a moment and nodded towards the door, a silent order to leave.

Sung grumbled and headed for the door. His boss turned his gaze to Chou and gave him a small apologetic smile. Chou nodded and followed the boy out. He stopped at the door and looked back. The blonde was wiping down the bar with a rag.

"You're name's Micheal right?" His head came up and he looked Chou in the eye. He smiled, showing his teeth and nodded.

"Come back any time officer. Just make sure it's under better circumstances, huh?" He smiled again and went back to wiping the bar off. Chou had a nagging feeling that he was missing something but couldn't figure it out. He followed Sung out into the dark.

* * *

Micheal watched the officer leave from the corner of his eye as he wiped the bar top down. Micheal allowed a few minutes to pass after the door closed and then stood up straight. He looked at the closed door for a moment and then went and locked it. He turned around and went to the back room. He shut and locked the door that seperated the back room from the bar and took the hallway to the left.

The hall eventually led to the living quarters which included the bedrooms, kitchen, and studies. He passed the kitchen and entered one of the studies, walked over to the desk, and sat down. Micheal looked down at his hands and sighed. All their plans, possibly ruined, because of that idiot murderer. He glanced around the room and opened a drawer and pulled out some paper and a pen and placed them on the desk. He thought about that evening, picked up the pen, and wrote out a simple note.

_A._

_Events here intensifying. Police visited. Name known. Rooster's friend police. Presence required._

_M. _

Micheal sat back and looked it over, short and to the point. He would understand it, Micheal was sure of it. He rose from the chair with the note and folded it up. The Seal was formed from melted wax. When it had cooled he walked over to the door and placed it on the table that all the outgoing mail sat on. The note would be sent the next day.

As Micheal walked to his bedroom to get ready for bed, he only hoped he would get it in time.


	10. Chapter 10

Sano walked down the market street without looking anywhere but ahead. The shadows under his eyes were more pronounced and he was slightly thinner than he normally was. It had been two weeks since he had a good night's sleep and he was so tired. Ever since he returned from the police station his sleep was consumed with nightmares. He hadn't gotten more than a few hours of restless sleep in the past week, combined. After the first few days he had taken to sleeping during the day, but even that brief respite was short lived as the dreams found a way to invade the daytime as well.

He sidestepped a gentleman as he was walking and kept going. Sano shivered and adjusted the bag in his hand. It was getting even colder and Saitou still had his coat. He was too much of a coward to go and ask for it back and he didn't feel like going to talk to Michael.

Sano believed that if a lack of sleep was the only thing wrong he could handle it; but it wasn't. Weird stuff was happening around him. A strange noise every once in a while, a glimpse of a shadow that wasn't there the next instant he looked back, and even weirder, a general sense of being felt up.

Not actually being groped. More like that feeling you get when someone's checking you out. Sano had been getting that vibe for awhile now but in the past two weeks it had become almost constant. He rarely if ever left his apartment the past week due to that. He didn't feel it when he was in that cold and bare place.

The bag pulled in his hand and Sano pulled it to his chest. He shivered in disgust as the damp cloth brushed his exposed chest. How could he have forgotten his little "present"? All he wanted to do was to take that bag and hurl it as far from him as possible. He nearly cried out in exhaustion. He was so tired.

Sano slowly made his way towards his goal. All he wanted to do was curl up in a warm place a fall asleep for at least a year; but alas, he had no such place. His crap-hole apartment was to cold and horrible to be considered even remotely comfortable and he didn't want to impose upon Michael. He wanted to cry from the unfairness of it all.

After he walked on for what seemed a lifetime, Sano reached his destination. He slowly and tiredly climbed the set of stairs and dragged himself inside. He rested against a nearby wall and closed his eyes. He only wanted to rest.

A rough shake woke him up. His eyes flew open and came to rest on Chou's slightly concerned face above him. He looked around and realized he had slunk to the ground while he was 'resting'. Chou was bent down in front of him and still had his hand on his shoulder. He continued to look at him and then asked quietly.

"You okay, Rooster? You look like crap." Sano groaned slightly and shook off the heavy hand. He tried to stand, only to fall in his exhaustion. Chou watched him for a moment and the decided to help him up. Sano stumbled and bumped into Chou a little.

* * *

Chou's grip tightened as he led Sano to his desk. He motioned for an officer to get a chair and when it was in place, Chou sat Sano down in it. He watched as Sano slid down somewhat but then seemed to wake some and sit back up. He looked around and then up at Chou in slight confusion as if he didn't remember how he got there. He looked down at himself and then to a bag he had in his hand. He visibly shuddered, put the bad on Chou's desk, and pulled as far away as the chair would let him.

He watched as Sano tried to fight falling asleep again. Chou felt really bad for the Rooster; it was obvious that he was worn out. He sat down in his chair and glanced down at Sano's bag. When he looked back up he was startled to see that the guy had already fallen asleep. He watched him for a little while and played with the bag's string. All of a sudden his hand touched something wet. The bag was soaked. He pulled his hand away and looked at his fingers. They were red, blood red. Unease took over as he slowly reached for the object. His hand connected with it and he was forced to stop the tremor that encased him. He pulled the bag to him, opened it, and promptly shoved it away.

Chou stood rapidly, backing away. He felt nausea well up inside of him and he pushed it down. He looked at Sano and saw a red patch on his chest, blood. He saw the tiredness and had a sinking suspicion that this was not the first "gift" left for Sano. He slowly made his way back to the desk. He closed the bag and kneeled in front of Sano. He shook his knee and waited for him to wake up. He didn't. Chou tried a few more time until Sano's bloodshot eyes opened and met his.

"Broom head?" the exhaustion laced words struck the sympathy chord in Chou's heart. "What ya' doin' here?"

"I work here, Rooster." He watched as Sano tried to lift his head in confusion and look around. Chou waited a few seconds and when he didn't notice recognition he felt something drop in his stomach. "You're in the police station, Sano." He waited a bit more and then "Sano, I need to know where you got that bag."

Sano's eyes met his and for a moment the words didn't register. But after a second or two, comprehension dawned and Sano's eyes shot to his right, automatically finding the bag. He pulled away in the only direction that was open to him, forward. He buried himself in Chou's arms and started to shake. He clung to Chou like a lifeline and wouldn't let go.

To say Chou was startled was an understatement. He was so shocked that he nearly jumped five feet into the air. He hesitated a moment and then slowly and jerkily wrapped his arms around Sano. They stayed that way for a minute or two until Chou remembered that Sano hadn't answered the question.

"Sano, where did you…" He was cut off by Sano clinging to him harder and whispering.

"He... he left it. Outside… outside my door. He was right there. He was right there!" Chou could hear the panic rising in his friend and could hear Sano trying not to sob. He looked up and saw every officer looking at them as if both of them had grown three heads.

He motioned for a nearby officer and quietly told him not to let anyone near his desk, at all. He helped Sano stand up then took the side corridor and made his way to the one place that Sano would not be disturbed; Saitou's office.

Saitou had been gone all day and had planned to be gone tomorrow as well. Today was a mandatory day off and tomorrow he had planned to spend the day contacting his personal informants. Chou knew that the office was empty and so he unlocked the door with the key that he had managed to swipe off Saitou somehow. He opened it and moved the still quivering Sano over to the couch. He deposited him on it and then went back for the bag.

He grasped it with a revolted twinge and carried it to the office as well. He put it in a box and then placed it on the desk. He closed the door and turned to Sano.

Chou suppressed the small urge to weep. Sano was rocking somewhat with his eyes closed and would let out a small groan every once in a while. He was obviously in a great deal of distress and Chou felt helpless. He wasn't good with this shit, damn it! He walked over to the couch and bent down to sit on his ankles.

"Sano," he shook Sano's knee again. When he had opened his eyes Chou gave a sympathetic smile. "Why don't you lie down for a little while? You look like you're about to collapse. " Sano shook his head and Chou tried to keep the exasperation from his voice. "Why not?"

"Because…" Chou watched as he looked away. "Because that thing's there every time, every time…" he choked back a cry. Chou understood.

"Well why don't you lean back and I'll go and get you something to drink?" He watched as Sano slowly and drowsily nodded. Chou stood and left the office. He went back to his desk and took out a piece of paper and pen. He wrote a quick and precise note to Saitou, sealed it, and then walked over to an officer. He pulled him away and spoke quickly and quietly.

"Take this to Fujita's house. Give it to him personally and no one else. Do you understand?" the officer nodded. "Do NOT read it. If he's not there, wait. Wait as long as you have to but make sure he 

gets this. It's of great importance." With a final nod the officer left and Chou messaged his shoulders. He went back to Saitou's office and found Sano laying down, sleeping. He gave a sad smile and opened a closet door and grabbed a couple blankets from it. He walked back to his tired friend and covered him up. He dragged a chair outside the door and closed it. He sat down with his back against the door and waited.

* * *

Saitou nearly growled as he made his way back home. There had been no progress what so ever in the case. No, there had been progress, just not the right kind. The sick fuck had killed another three people, bringing the total of bodies up to 11. The bastard even went another step further and mutilated his latest victim. Saitou knew the bastard was taunting him now.

He turned a corner and continued on. The city was in a panic. They were terrified and rightly so. To anyone watching, which was a lot; it seemed as if the police were doing nothing to catch the madman. The increased patrol seemed to increase the number of bodies if anything. As he rounded the last corner to his house Saitou had a fleeting thought of the Ahou. The few times Saitou had seen him, he hadn't looked well. He looked like Saitou felt.

His eyes narrowed as he saw an officer standing by his front door, a carriage out front. He watched the officer spot him a run up to him. The young man was breathless with the cold that he had obviously suffered from for quite some time. He handed Saitou the note and stepped back.

"Chou told me to wait and give this to you personally. If you weren't here, I was told to wait."

"How long have you been here?" He asked as he opened the note. He didn't look at it right away.

"A little over two hours, Sir." Saitou glared at him and looked down. He scanned the note and took off towards the carriage. He flung the door open and ordered the driver to take him to the station as fast as possible. Saitou grasped the crumpled note in his hand tightly as the carriage careened down the road towards the Police Station.

_Rooster's received a stolen present._

_Chou_

* * *

Chou's head nodded a bit and snapped back to attention. He looked down the hall to the bull pen. He could see several people filing paperwork and chatting with friends. He glared silently at them wishing they would just get back to work. Saitou wouldn't be happy when he got here and found all the officers mingling like they had nothing to do. They'd wish they were dead after he was done with them.

Chou stood and stretched, the popping he heard in his back made him flinch. He turned to the door and opened it while leaning over the chair. He peered into the darkness and made out the lumped shape of Sano on the couch. He watched for a moment and was about to close the door when Sano started on the couch. Chou heard a groan and he saw the shape shift over on the coach. He waited a moment more before shutting the door and sitting back down in the chair. He rested his head on the wood behind him and pulled out his pocket watch. He sent that note to Saitou over two hours ago and he had a feeling that Saitou would arrive shortly.

Sure enough, Chou heard the sudden silence of guilt and imminent death in the bull pen. He adjusted himself in the seat and braced himself for the incoming explosion. He didn't have to wait long.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? WE HAVE A MURDERER ON THE LOOSE AND YOU'RE JUST STANDING AROUND TALKING TO YOUR LITTLE GIRLFRIENDS! GET THE HELL OUT OF MY SIGHT OR YOU ALL WILL BE FIRED!" A pause. "AND WHERE THE HELL IS CHOU?!"

Chou heard a poor soul whimper out a response. A moment later he heard heavy and angry steps coming toward the hallway. He turned his head and saw Saitou come into view. He stayed in the chair and raised his hand in greeting to him. Saitou stopped beside him and glared daggers at him.

"Don't look at me, Boss. I've been in this chair in front if this door since I sent that note. I didn't leave this spot for anything. Those idiots had it coming." Saitou glared for a moment more and then nodded. He looked a bit longer and then sighed. Chou raised an eyebrow in question.

"Chou, the heart?"

"Oh!" Stood quickly and moved the chair. He reached for the door knob and stopped short. He turned to Saitou with a serious expression. "Boss, I have to tell you."

"Yes?" It was Saitou's turn to raise an eyebrow.

"Sano, I put him in your office." Saitou narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to yell at Chou when Chou pushed ahead rapidly. "He was in bad shape, almost broke down in the bull pen. He's completely exhausted, Saitou. I put him in here so no one would disturb him and so you could question him. I knew he couldn't leave and your office was the only isolated place I could think of."

Saitou nodded after a moment and glared at him again.

"Chou, if he touched anything…"

"I doubt it. I left to go send that note and when I came back not three minutes later, he was fast asleep. He fell asleep standing up by the door and again as soon as he sat down at my desk. When I woke him up he didn't even know where he was at first, he's so tired. I doubt your screaming even woke him up."

* * *

Saitou looked over to the door. The boy was apparently on his couch sleeping, sleeping so soundly that Chou doubted that his yelling would have penetrated the boy's fatigue induced coma. He reached out, turned the knob, and entered into the darkness.

Saitou's eyes immediately found the boy on his couch under his covers. He narrowed his eyes and turned to Chou who grinned sheepishly and told him that the kid was cold when he came in.

"Of course he was, Chou. We have his coat and he was too stupid to come and get it back." Chou shrugged and smirked.

"Would you have given it back?" Saitou returned the smirk.

"Not without him answering a few questions." Chou shook his head.

"Then it's a lost cause." He looked over to the couch and Saitou watched as a concerned look took over Chou's face. "Boss, I'm really getting worried." He looked Saitou in the eye. "That sick bastard is getting too close to Sano. He left that," He pointed to the box on Saitou's desk "just outside his door."

Saitou frowned and looked to the box on his desk. He looked back to the kid and walked over to him. He kneeled to get a better look at the youth that was hidden beneath the two wool covers. He stilled when he heard a quiet snore. He slowly raised his hand and pulled the covers back slightly. His eyes widened a little at what he saw under his hand.

The boy looked horrible, dark circles stood out prominently as if black paint on white canvas. His mouth was curved down into a frown and he was pulled back into the couch. Saitou looked at him a moment longer and then stood. He walked to the desk and pulled the box to him. He ignored the slight stench and opened the lid slowly, waving his right hand to Chou signaling for light. The sight that greeted him was revolting to say the least.

The bag was soaked in blood; the excess had seeped out and started to stain the inside of the box. Saitou, who was by now used to the smell of blood, heard Chou try to resist gagging. He gave a grim smirk and reached into his pocket and took out a pair of disposable gloves. He pulled them on and took an unnoticeable breathe. He pulled the bag open and glared down in the bag. He looked at the heart inside and closed the bag. He pulled the gloves off and gave the box to Chou. He made a face and held it 

at arm's length. He looked at Saitou, nodded, and headed out the door to take the heart to where the bodies were.

When the door closed Saitou turned back to the boy on the couch. He approached slowly and looked down at the bane of his existence, Sagara Sanosuke. He noticed the slight curve of his chin and the visible softening of the overall look to the young man's face when he was asleep. The haunted look in the young man's eyes was gone. He looked younger when he was asleep. He looked like his age, Saitou thought to himself. Saitou raised his hand and gently traced Sano's cheek.

His hand stilled and then snatched back. Saitou stood swiftly, turned around, closed his eyes, and growled. _Damn it! What the hell is happening to me? Damn this mongrel! Damn it! Damn him!_ He turned back around and had to resist the urge to slam his fist into Sagara's face. He watched angrily as Sano shifted in his sleep again. He glared and stomped over to his desk. He turned on the lamp light, sat down, opened the right hand top drawer, and pulled out a stack of papers. He might as well get some work done now because his time later would be filled with interviewing Sano. And besides, Sano looked like he needed the sleep, badly. As he dipped the pen in the ink his hand froze. He slowly turned his gaze to the youth on his couch and cursed.

He had called him Sano


	11. Chapter 11

_It was raining and he had nowhere to go… He was cold too. The rain fell in thick, heavy sheets and pounded him like battering rams. It had soaked his clothes quickly and now he was wet and cold. He stumbled along the road through the rain, hands trembling, body trembling. The rain fell on his shoulders, in his hair, and on his cheeks. It was the rain that fell from his eyes and that was coursing down his cheeks. It was the rain._

_Riders came around the bend and rode by; spraying mud from the puddle onto him. He slipped and fell to the ground as the last rider yelled to get the hell out of the way before disappearing as quickly as they had come. He scampered back from the road and tumbled down a small hill. At the bottom he landed on his back and the rain ran down his cheeks again. It was the rain. He pulled himself up and started off. The mud weighed his clothes down; it made them smell. He rubbed the rain from his eyes and felt another heavy sheet fall on top of him. He looked up into the cloudy, black, angry sky. He felt the rain fall down his cheeks. It never seemed to end. His clothes would never be dry again._

* * *

Sano woke. He felt his clothes. No rain. He opened his eyes and saw the room in blurry detail. He didn't know where he was but where ever it was, it was warm and for some reason, that was all that seemed to matter. But why had he woken? Yelling, he had heard yelling, but it was far away and didn't matter. But it did matter. He struggled against the incoming blackness. Something told him to listen to that voice, something about that voice. He was so tired. The dark room seemed to swim. He closed his eyes as sleep demanded him to and allowed himself be pulled back into darkness.

* * *

If he had been asked, he would have answered that life was rarely fair, as was reason. He would have continued on by giving detailed examples. But he wasn't asked, so he kept his thoughts to himself; as usual.

He knew the inequality of the country, of the world. He was aware of the status quo. Money equaled power. Power equaled freedom. Freedom equaled… well, he wasn't quite sure what freedom equaled.

Freedom for the rich was leisure and games. Freedom for the middleclass was the luxury of being able to choose what to do with their own lives, freedom for the poor, however, usually meant death; tricky little bastard, freedom.

His father had reached "freedom" at the ripe age of 37. Couldn't have happened to a nicer bastard, he had always thought. His father had been the one who taught him everything he knew about fairness. Not through words, mind you, but through actions.

Neglect had been common, so had been beatings; and, heaven forbid it be forgotten, the complete and utter disregard for his feelings and thoughts.

He learned that if you didn't work you got beaten and thrown outside without supper. He also learned that if you did work you still got beaten; only it was after supper and the half-gallon of sake his ass of a father consumed each night.

It was not acceptable to refuse taking the blame for using up all the family money. It was also not acceptable to point out that it wasn't you who habitually spent all the money on alcohol. Finally, the most unacceptable thing was to run from the beating your father dished out to punish you for the lack of money that was in reality his own fault.

Yes, life indeed was rarely fair.

But then there were those incidents, few are far between, where life was just. The night his father was beaten and money stolen, the few passersby that took pity on a street urchin, and the day Shishio was destroyed by his own flames were all instances to prove that.

Overlooking his life, however, one could clearly tell that the bad far outweighed the good in almost every day of his life. That was until recently.

When someone has a change in luck, they find it difficult to give you an exact moment for reference point. They can't tell you the exact moment that their luck changed. He, however, could.

The day his fortune turned around and where the good outweighed the bad was very clear to him. Hell, he was sure he knew the exact time it happened.

If asked, he would have answered that the day life became fair was the day Saitou Hajime became a part of his life. One would assume that that be the day they met at the dojo and where he was used as a pincushion, but that would be incorrect. That was the day that he merely met the cricket bastard. The day he truly became part of his life was… well, that's not really important. But he wasn't asked, so he kept his thoughts to himself; as usual.

_

* * *

_

The city was loud and uncomfortable as he slowly passed through the streets, lost. He pulled his ragged, mud-clogged, clothes closer to him, trying to keep the little warmth that he had left. He shivered and sneezed harshly, his shirt falling open. He bit back a gasp as the cold assaulted his bruised chest.

_He had been walking for days, hopelessly trying to find somewhere to stay. Many street urchins refused to share their sleeping places with him and even resorted to hitting him to chase him away. He had had no food and little sleep and the little sleep he did manage was only gained within the confines of the nearby forest or under the bridges of the city. His stomach growled and he bit back a small sob. He was hungry._

_The crowd surrounded him as he cautiously made his way down the street; people bustled about trying to get home or finish last minute shopping. He stumbled a bit as someone pushed by him roughly. He glared at the retreating back and sneezed once again, he was sick._

_He started walking and kept as far away from people as possible. When he had reached the corner he paused and looked around. Across the street stood the hot food stands. His mouth drooled as he observed a man as he purchased a hot potato and bit into it. His stomach made the decision for him. He looked both ways, trying to avoid being run over by the odd carriage and quickly darted across the busy street._

_The scent of food was strong and distracting. He heard a shout and jumped back as a carriage nearly ran him over and ran the rest of the way in fear of being trampled. When he reached safety he breathed a sigh of relief and looked around._

_As he passed by the stands, he gazed at the foods offered to the people with money; the people who could afford to eat, so hungry. He roamed the area for what seemed hours, hoping someone would take pity and give him a little of something, food, money, it didn't matter._

_It was when he was passing an alley and nearly tripped that he had happened to look down. There on the ground was yen. He bent down to pick it up and felt arms close around him._

_No one around him paid any attention as he was pulled into the dark alley behind._

* * *

After a few hours, when the day had waned and given into the night, Saitou had straitened in his chair and quietly crossed over to the couch where the boy was sleeping fitfully. The covers had worked their way down to around the rooster's waist and had wrapped themselves around him. Standing over him, Saitou could hear low murmuring and so he crouched down to better hear; the soft pleas to stop and for help caused something in the officer's chest to tighten.

Sagara Sanosuke was not the type to neither plead nor beg. His rock steady self-reliance garnered grudging respect from the remote man listening. Sagara had seemingly raised himself for 10 years and managed to turn out well enough for it. Yes, the boy had quirks that were destructive and hurtful for both himself and for others around him, but they were few and far between and easily kept in check. To hear this strong, stubborn, young man beg for help gripped his heart.

Saitou deliberated for a moment or two until a restrained whine made his decision for him. He slowly raised his hand and after hesitating several times, rested it upon the top of the young man's head. Even through his doubt, Saitou noticed how soft the Ahou's hair was and how it molded to fit the shape of his hand. He looked at the young man and truly took in his condition.

He was exhausted. That was the first thing that registered. He couldn't have gotten much sleep since he last saw him and he doubted the little sleep the boy did get was restful.

The second thing that he noticed was the heat of the boy's forehead. Saitou frowned and rested the back of his hand against the clammy skin and glared. The Ahou was burning up. He nearly cursed as he realized that Sagara had been without a coat in the chilly weather and had caught sick.

The third thing that registered was narrowed glossy brown eyes looking at him.

Saitou ruthlessly shoved the panic at being caught down and locked it away. He was the one in control here, no matter what. He withdrew his hand with far more grace than he felt and slowly stood. Not once did he break eye contact with the young man on his couch.

Sagara continued to look at him without saying anything. His body never moved but his eyes tracked every movement Saitou made. Saitou observed for a moment more and decided to be the one to break the silence.

"You're finally awake, I see." He crossed his arms and waited for the boy to speak. Sagara watched him for a moment and then glanced about the room. The older man could see the moment when the bewilderment entered the brown eyes and knew that the sickened man was confused. This could not be good.

"Do you know why you are?" He asked in a clipped tone. The glossy brown looked at gold and the head shook in the negative. Saitou narrowed his eyes and he noticed Sagara draw back as if expecting something.

"This is the police station." He continued on ignoring the slight curling of the body on the couch. "You are in my office as you have been for the past few hours."

Saitou paused to let that sink in. He saw the boy shivering and took a step forward to pull up the covers; it wouldn't do to allow his condition to grow worse, he still needed to question him after all.

Sagara jerked back as Saitou raised his hand. He stopped mid-motion and lowered it at seeing the fear in the young man's eyes. He sighed mentally and spoke in a low tone.

"You are going to get even sicker if you do not keep warm." He moved forward slowly and at not seeing the fear pulled the covers up. He focused on the wariness that he glimpsed in the brown orbs. "Do you know where you are?"

Sagara focused on him for a moment or two and hesitantly answered.

"A dream." Saitou raised an eyebrow, a dream? Where had that come from?

"Why do you say that?" He asked curiously.

"You…" Sagara broke off.

"Yes, what about me." He watched as Sagara looked away, either in embarrassment or nervousness he didn't know. Something about the situation pulled at Saitou. There was something about seeing the young man, weak and almost helpless, on his couch seemingly needing his protection. Saitou crouched down closer to Sagara and crossed his arms, resting them on his knees. He continued on in a softer tone. "What about me?"

It must have been the tone that did it. The sick youth turned his bleary eyes back to the officer and answered in a quiet voice.

"You look like him." The boy blushed and buried his head in the covers. Saitou's eyebrow shot back up. What the hell was he talking about? He continued on in the same soft tone. It had gotten him this far hadn't it? What would it hurt to speak to the obviously exhausted man in front of him like this a little longer? Saitou doubted he'd remember the conversation later anyway.

"Who do I look like?" The blankets stirred and after a minute of Saitou's patience being tested, he was rewarded with Sagara's head coming back into view.

"Saitou."

"Why would you think this is a dream? Why wouldn't I be Saitou?" He was genuinely curious.

"You're too nice. Saitou hates me. He makes fun of me and likes to hurt me." The blunt and honest answer from the sick youth stabbed at Saitou's conscious. Did he really think that? Did he really think that he hated him? Sure they didn't get along even at the best of times, but hate him?

Saitou saw the honesty in Sagara's eyes and knew that the youth was not trying to mislead Saitou. He truly believed that he hated him. Was he that much of a bastard?

"Well, what do you expect? You don't go out of your way to change my opinion."

Obviously, he was. Saitou nearly growled as the boy flinched and pulled back. Damn it, he hadn't meant to say that. He was so busy cursing his impatience he almost missed the Ahou's response.

"I can't help it if he doesn't want to… to… oh, I don't know." The quiet voice grabbed the swordsman's attention.

"That I don't want to what, Ahou?" He waited.

"That he… that he doesn't want to listen. He's always so pushy and hurtful, he doesn't make it even the slightest bit possible to show him. I've tried to tell him… he just doesn't want to hear it. It's just not possible for me to change his opinion when there's no space for new ones."

That certainly caught him off guard. When did the rooster ever think this deeply? Saitou took a good look at the man in front of him. Yes, still the rooster head. The dejected look on Sagara's face made him want to say something. He viciously fought down that urge.

He needed to question Sagara. He decided to get back to the original purpose of talking to the unruly youth.

"How did you get the bag, Ahou?"

"What bag?" Saitou glared.

"The bag with the heart in it, Ahou. The one you walked in with."

Sagara's reaction could not have been more explosive. Saitou watched the face before him as fatigue was replaced with confusion and, as he spoke, superseded with recognition, horror, and finally outright terror. He was not prepared for when Sano practically leaped off the couch. He found himself on his ass on the floor in his own office, how was that for you? He growled and turned to yell at the stupid boy but stopped when he caught sight of him.

Sanosuke had landed on his ass as well but, in the short seconds it took Saitou to regain his composure, had managed to drag himself backwards until he had hit the mahogany desk and pressed himself against it. His face was paler than Saitou thought possible and his body was so alarmingly rigid, it hurt just looking at him.

To say Saitou was alarmed was an understatement. He had never seen a reaction this extreme before and even if he had, he would never have expected it from this steadfast man. But here was proof of the contrary.

Saitou pulled himself together and thought about how to handle this situation. The boy was quite clearly terrified and it would do no good to make matters worse. He had to calm him down, fast. Sanosuke could hurt himself in this state and in the back of his mind he added "or me." Saitou watched as Sanosuke pulled his legs up to his chest and started to rock slightly; definite not good.

He stood up and took a step forward but immediately regretted it when Sanosuke's head jerked up and he nearly shoved the desk out of his way to get farther from the officer. Sanosuke backed himself into the corner and started hyperventilating. Saitou stepped back and watched for a moment. He crouched down onto the ground and slowly, ever so slowly, made his way closer to the traumatized youth. Sanosuke's panicked eyes followed every movement he made as he came closer across the room.

Saitou stopped until when he was just out of arm's reach. He knelt down on his left knee and rested his right arm on the bent right. He started to talk about things that he thought would calm Sano down, get him breathing slower; all the while never reaching for him or coming any closer.

He talked about everything from the weather to the many missions he had carried out for the sake of the government. Hell, he even talked about soba. It was only when he broached the subjected of the many fights that the two of them got into that Saitou saw any notable change.

He didn't know why but he talked about the night over a month ago. He talked to Sano about being frustrated at watching how the boy was wasting his life. He had just gotten to the part where Sano told him where he had been for that infamous month when Sano surprised him. The rooster clutched his knees still but his breathing had slowed considerably. He was still gasping slightly but was no longer in danger of hyperventilating. He looked at Saitou and kept the gaze. He took a short gasp.

"Family." Saitou paused in his continuous flow of words and waited for Sano to finish. When he did, it was in bursts punctuated by short pants. "I told… you that I… had gone to… see my ... my family…"

"Yes. You did." Saitou admitted.

"Shouldn't have done… done that."

"Any why shouldn't you have?" Although the nasty little thing called his conscious screamed at him that it was wrong to get his answers this way, Saitou plowed on. "What's so wrong with that?"

Sano shook his panic filled head.

"Not supposed to… not supposed to." He clutched his knees. "Adam said so… said so."

And they were back to the elusive Adam. Saitou's eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth to ask just who was this Adam when he thought better of it. He needed to calm Sano down and this track of conversation was doing the opposite.

Saitou watched for a moment until a thought struck him. He slowly backed away from Sano and stood. He made his way over to the closet and opened the door. There, all the way to the left was the boy's coat. He took it off the hook and closed the door. He made his was back over to Sano and again stopped outside of reaching distance. He, in what was a hopefully non-threatening manner, held the coat out to the scared young man.

"This is your coat isn't it, rooster head? You left it here. All you had to do was ask for it back." Sano flicked his gaze from the black wool coat to Saitou, as if trying to decide which would bite first. Saitou kept it held out to him and was rewarded when Sano hesitantly reached for it. The hand shook slightly when it grasped it and darted back to its owner with said coat. Sano clutched it to him as if a lifeline. He watched as the shattered young man in front of him shuddered and rested his head on the coat which was laying on top of his knees.

It was in that moment, that heart-breaking moment; Saitou found himself doing the one thing in the world he never thought possible.

Saitou Hajime sat down next to Sagara Sanosuke, wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and held him close while the boy cried; question be damned for right now.


	12. Chapter 12

IMPORTANT NOTE BELOW. PLEASE READ!!! (It's really short)

Hello Everyone! I have a new chapter up! Yay!!! Thank you all for sticking with me. I have gotten lazy and have fallen off the bandwagon but hopefully have gotten my butt back on. I enjoy doing this. I find that it relaxes me and is a great destresser. (Contemplating ways for Saitou to smack the shit out of Sano tends to do that for me. ;P)

First of all I'd like to thank Kuroiyousei so very much for agreeing to read my story and help me chang it for the better. I'm confident that "A Path Unsure" will now on be better than what it was previously.

First of all... AN IMPORTANT NOTE:

If you haven't figured it out yet, this story is based on the anime. You could consider it a bit AU when it comes to Sano's relashionship with his father.

Other than that, I hope you enjoy the chapter.

SaitouLover

* * *

The soft knock on the door brought Saitou out of the light slumber he had fallen into sometime after Sagara gave in to his own exhaustion. He gently moved the boy away from him enough so he could reclaim his arm and stood. The office was pitch black, the candles long since burned out, and the outside chill had seeped in.

Saitou rubbed his numb arm and opened to door to speak to the intruder. An officer stood there with several files in his hand. Saitou glared at him.

"Yes?"

"Sir," The officer spoke without wavering under his superior's molten gaze. "I have those files you requested."

"What time is it, officer?"

"A little after midnight sir."

'"If it is after midnight," Saitou said, enunciating every word with pointed clarity, "then why are you bringing me these files now?"'

"Because we didn't get to them until just now sir; and I brought them because I doubted you'd be heading home any time soon, sir."

It was moments like this that made Saitou wish he could get away with killing these pretentious little snots: just gut them and hide their bodies under the floorboards… clean and simple, if a bit painful; lifting bodies was a killer on the back.

Saitou took a moment to contemplate this officer's death, but decided on a different, less drastic method of punishment for his impertinence.

"Well, officer, since you seem just as dedicated to the job as I am…" he paused and locked stares with the young man "…you can go through the file rooms and look for anything we missed that might lead us to our killer." Saitou watched with satisfaction as the snot stiffened and his gaze grew cool. He worked his jaw and his hands tightened into loose fists.

"All of them, sir?" His voice was strained. "Even the one from last decade or further back than that?"

Saitou leaned against the door frame and took a few seconds to consider the question. There were four file rooms, and three of them had outdated information that he knew had no viable leads. Saitou only wanted the most recent files gone through. He looked at the officer and decided that it wouldn't do him well to alienate the little snot; the young man before him was friendly with a large portion of the department.

"No, just the two most recent." Saitou smirked internally as the snot ground his teeth. He wouldn't punish the brat too much for his cheek but Saitou would eat his glove if he let him think he could continue to talk that way to his betters.

"Yes, sir." The young man forced out. He turned to go back to his desk. He had some paper work to finish before he started going through those rooms. The bastard was probably laughing at him. He silently growled at that thought. The others were right: Saitou was evil.

Saitou smirked as he watched the upstart leave, and then turned back to his office. He closed the door and looked over to Sagara. Without Saitou supporting him, Sagara had slid down the wall to lie on his side; the coat was still clutched in his arms. Saitou stood observing him for a moment or two and then went over to his couch.

As he sat watching the young man Saitou considered his dilemma. Sagara was in danger, plain and simple. It wasn't a matter of whether or not the psychopath might take him; it was a matter of _when_ he _would_. This murderer had fixed on men fitting the Rooster head's description. Whether he'd decided to kill Sagara-lookalikes after seeing the boy or whether he'd spotted Sagara after starting his killing spree was a mystery to Saitou; either way, it meant nothing good for the Rooster.

The fact that the killer was so bold as to remove the heart from a victim and leave it on Sagara's doorstep as a seeming offering unnerved Saitou somewhat. The bastard was getting even bolder and Sagara was suffering all the more for it.

After a deep drag, Saitou pulled his newly-lit cigarette from his mouth and glared at it. He knew he needed to give up smoking. It was a bad habit he couldn't afford; not only was he becoming reliant on the cigarettes to the point that it was a weakness, they stained his teeth yellow. In his opinion, he was already suffering from lack of beauty and he didn't need to add to it. He looked back over to Sagara and took another drag.

So the question was: what needed to be done about the Rooster? Sagara obviously couldn't go back to that hellhole of an apartment: the killer knew where he lived. The police force was spread so extremely thin that Saitou couldn't spare even one officer to keep an eye on the boy… not that Sagara would allow that anyway; he'd most likely ditch the officer the first chance he got; so that left one stubborn, obnoxiously strong, Rooster-headed young man and nowhere to stash him.

Ash from the cigarette fell onto his leg, and Saitou switched the glowing stick to his right hand to sweep his pants clean with his left.

_Where to put him? It needs to be somewhere secure, a place not many people have access to. Ideally only one exit, few windows, and solid doors that can be bolted in a case of emergency. It would need to be away from prying eyes, too. Hm._

Saitou let his eyes roam over the Ahou. He took stock of the young man's condition and made several adjustments to the imagined safe house.

_It would need to have a kitchen; the Rooster's lost weight. Hm, and a nice bed wouldn't go amiss. The kid makes __me__ tired just looking at him._ Saitou looked at Sagara once more and added silently_ And heavier clothes. How the hell does he make it through winter in only rags like that? I know for a fact this is the first year he's had a coat. _

His eyes narrowed when he thought about the coat. That was another thing, another piece of the puzzle. Saitou knew the coat was important to the kid, and not because it kept him warm; there was a sentimental value attached to it. If the coat was so important to him, why would he lie about it and leave it behind? There was something off about that. It was as if the kid knew Saitou would demand answers in exchange for its return. Maybe that was why. Maybe there were questions that Sagara couldn't even afford to have asked, let alone to answer.

Saitou narrowed his eyes even further. _The coat had turned up rather suddenly, too_. Also, why would anyone send such an expensive gift to the Ahou of all people? When was it, exactly, that the boy had shown up with it? If he remembered correctly, it was right after he'd disappeared.

Saitou stiffened and his hand tightened into a fist, crushing the last remains of his cigarette. He quietly growled as the realization dawned upon him. The coat had to have been here already. The coat was foreign. Sano had foreign contacts. He knew a man by the name of Adam, an English name. Sano understood English.

Adam or some other foreigner Sano knew was in the country and it was someone that Sano didn't want Saitou to know anything about.

Fighting down the urge to cross the room and beat the shit out of the young man, Saitou forcibly calmed himself and contemplated the situation. There were things that needed to be done in the next few hours and Saitou couldn't afford distraction. He'd ask his questions later and make sure he got his answers, even if he had to fight dirty. But until then, he'd have to keep an eye on Sagara.

A sudden smugness welled up inside Saitou at that moment. He knew exactly where to keep the kid. Sagara wouldn't like, it but Saitou didn't really care at this point.

His own house would work perfectly.

It was functional. It had one main door, and the other – which led into the garden – could easily be blocked off, as could the windows. The layout of his house was simple and it had a fully stocked kitchen.

His house would do nicely. He didn't even need an officer to babysit; he could get Chou to do it. That would get two pests out of his hair at once.

Saitou stood with conviction and threw the crushed cigarette into the ash tray beside him. He hesitated a moment. He needed to make the rounds of his house before bringing the Ahou there but he couldn't leave the kid here alone. Sagara might wake up and leave. Saitou wanted to growl in building frustration. He thought about it a moment and came to a decision. Sagara was sick and confused, and needed to know he must stay here until Saitou returned.

Nodding minutely, the officer walked to the sleeping Roosterhead, squatted, and nudged him.

"Rooster, wake up." He waited for a response, and, when he didn't get any, tried again. "Ahou, get up."

When nothing happened, Saitou growled and shook Sagara's shoulder.

"Ahou, if you don't get up, I'm going to do something you will find very unpleasant." Hearing a groan in response, he smirked. _Works every time_. He watched as the Ahou slowly stirred and partially open his bleary eyes. Sagara looked around, and, when he saw the black shape in front of him, drew back against the wall.

Saitou frowned, a sinking feeling in his gut. Sanosuke kept showing signs of abuse… Was he afraid of Saitou? Did he believe Saitou would hit him? The sinking feeling grew.

_But you __do__ hit him_, a voice whispered to him. _You really are quite cruel to him when you want to be._ Saitou watched as Sagara pulled as far away from him as possible, and felt a tiny bit of guilt. He hadn't meant to make the kid scared of him -- just to prove that Sanosuke was far from perfect, to encourage him to admit his shortcomings and work on fixing them… not terrify him into flinching away like this. Saitou hesitated for a moment and then called to him.

"Rooster, come away from the wall. I won't…" He almost choked on the words. "… I won't hurt you. Just come away from the wall. It can't be good for you. Rooster, come away."

Throughout his quiet speech Saitou noticed Sano calm down and stop quivering. He watched as the Rooster's hands drew away from his head and his eyes focused on Saitou.

"Saitou?"

"Yes, Rooster?" Saitou replied, then held his breath waiting for the answer.

"What's going on?" Saitou let out his breath at this, relief flooding him. Sanosuke had simply been confused, not afraid of him specifically. _You hope_, the traitorous voice whispered. This he pushed away, however, and kept his focus on Sagara. He thought about how to answer, and decided honesty was for the best.

"You're sick, Rooster," Saitou replied, speaking simply and slowly so as not to exacerbate the issue. "You're confused and don't remember. You came to the station upset and Chou thought it best to put you in my office until I arrived."

"Oh." Sagara's brows drew together in thought. "Why?"

Saitou drew in a subtle breath. "Because you might know something about a case and I need to question you."

"Oh." Sagara nodded understandingly. Saitou wanted to feel bad about misleading the sick youth -- he really did -- but he couldn't; this was necessary.

"But before I question you, I need to go do something, and I don't know how long I'll be gone; so I need you to stay here in my office until I get back. Do you understand, Rooster?" Sagara frowned.

"You're not arresting me are you, Bastard?"

Saitou smirked down at him.

"No. Not if you do as I say." Sano growled and slowly pushed himself up. He started to sway, and grabbed onto the nearest thing he could… which happened to be Saitou. Saitou almost fell with him, but managed somehow to stay upright; he had to steady the Rooster, though, before he could take them both back down to the floor. Once Sano regained his balance, he realized what he was holding onto and shoved away as fast as possible. He blushed and looked away. The absence of Sano's body heat was a disappointment … which, in turn, was frustrating; Saitou didn't need to be dwelling on things like that at the moment.

The uncomfortable silence was broken when Saitou asked the question again.

"Yes, all right, yes," Sano grumbled. "I understand."

"As long as we're clear. I don't need to be chasing your sick ass across Tokyo in the middle of the night." He watched, amused, as Sano's figurative feathers ruffled; the boy was still a spitfire even when sick. "I'll be leaving now, Rooster. Don't leave and don't open the door. Chou's gone, and I don't want anyone to know you're here." With that Saitou stood and made his way to the door. Getting his coat from the closet, he grabbed the door knob. He turned around and locked stares with Sagara.

"No opening the door, Rooster."

"Yeah, yeah," the young man grumbled. He went to say something else but started to cough. Saitou nodded and opened the door He stepped out into the hall, closed and locked the door, then leaned toward it to listen. After a few moments he heard muffled shuffling and then a relief filled groan. Satisfied that Sagara had lain down on his couch again, he smirked as walked out into the main room..

The first thing he noticed there was the snot at his desk ignoring orders. Irritated, Saitou walked menacingly over to him

"Shouldn't you be somewhere else?" he asked quietly. The officer stiffened and stilled the pen in his hand.

"I wanted to finish this paperwork first, sir. Otherwise it will get in the way of my search for your information, sir." The _sir_s must have been uncomfortable to say, Saitou mused.

"Well, then I'll let you get back to it." He turned to leave and was almost at the door when he heard the officer speak up.

"And what of your…" He hesitated "…guest, sir?"

Saitou turned and glared coldly at him.

"Excuse me?"

"Your…" Another pause "…guest, sir, the young man. He looked a bit shaken up. Should I keep an eye on him?"

The way he said the last sentence sent Saitou's spine rigid in anger. He wanted to bare his teeth and growl at the little bastard. _Keep an eye on him indeed._

"No," he snapped coldly. "No, what you'll do is go through those four file rooms."

"Four! You said only two before!" The younger man said outraged.

"Yes, all four."

"Sir, I protest!"

"Your protest is noted. Now go get to work. Those _four_ rooms won't sort themselves."

"Sir!"

"_Now officer_!" Saitou snapped loudly, holding onto his fraying patience. He didn't wait for answer. He turned around and slammed the door shut so hard that the glass shuddered in the windows frames.

Meanwhile, Sano had laid himself out on the couch again and tried to sleep. His muddled brain kept going back over his panicked actions a little while ago. How could he have been so stupid! Stupid, stupid Sano! How could he have thought Saitou was his father?

Sano groaned and rolled over to face the back of the couch, pulling the blankets around him and sighing. He knew he was being stupid. There was no comparison between the two. While his father was a bastard of high degree, he had nothing on Saitou – at least superficially. But though Saitou might _act_ like the bigger asshole, Sano didn't think he would ever withhold food and beat him the way his father had. Saitou was a man of honor; Sano's father had been entirely without.

He breathed deeply and caught a whiff of cigarette smoke. Sano pulled the blankets closer and inhaled; cigarette smoke and something else entirely Saitou. He inhaled once again to catch another whiff when he realized what he was doing. His eyes widened slightly and then he jerked the blankets up over his head, gritted his teeth, and let out a frustrated scream.


	13. Chapter 13

I know, this is an extremly short chapter. I'm sorry. I wanted to get this up before I lost my motivation. I had college and then when summer started a horrible case of writer's block struck. I'm working through it but until I get back into the swing of it I'm afraid that the chapters could be shorter and a bit rushed.

If things are going to fast or son't seem to make sense than PLEASE let me know so I can fix it.

~SaitouLover

* * *

Saitou walked down the deserted street towards his home. He was frustrated and stressed and now he had another burden upon his shoulders. The case was weighing too heavily on him. It shouldn't be so difficult to capture a psychopath who killed every other night. On top of that, the psychopath was now targeting Sagara. The young man was in danger and the situation was an extremely complicated one.

He knocked the ash from the butt of the cigarette in his hand and watched as the end was briefly illuminated in the dark before dying away. He continued on towards his destination, preferring to stay in the shadows to keep an eye open for anyone suspicious. He thought again of the situation that he and Sagara were in.

Sagara was the key to this whole mess, he was sure of that. The bastard was after the young man and to Saitou it was both a positive and negative thing; though the negative repercussions far outweighed the good. They could potentially capture the murderer by using the young man as bait. They could also be sentencing Sagara Sanosuke to his rape and death.

A cold and harsh sensation rose up inside of Saitou at that thought. It slowly seeped into his chest and his limbs and numbed them to feeling. It threatened to invade his mind and freeze it, even as he continued to contemplate what it would mean for Sagara to fall; for Saitou to fail in his duty and right to protect him.

If he failed, Sagara would suffer. The young man would be taken and his virtue and goodness would be ripped to shreds by those monstrously cold and unfeeling hands. Sagara's purity would be forever tainted and his innocence destroyed if such an evil was allowed near. Darkness like that could only cause unbearable pain and torture for the victim. He could only imagine what it would be like for not only the mind to remember, but the soul as well. To feel evil seep into your core with every cold and calculating touch, the brushes of hands and lips, the searing heat of the monster as you are forced to embrace it.

No. Using Sagara was not an option. Too many things could go wrong in the heat of the moment. Saitou refused to allow any more harm to come to the young man than what had already happened. He would do everything in his power to keep the young man safe. Saitou would do his best because he refused to be the one to bear the oppressive and terrible weight of guilt because something did occur.

The burn from the cigarette yanked Saitou from his mind. He sneered slightly at the used up stick and flicked it to the ground, wishing that he could distance himself from his darkening thoughts as easily.

* * *

Sano let the cool night air wash over his heated skin as he lay on Saitou's couch trying to get back to sleep. His head lolled to one side gently and he took in the sounds of the office, all the while breathing deeply and relaxing his muscles one by one.

It was a wonderful little relaxation trick that Thomas showed had him. The Doctor had learned of Sano's frequent nightmares and the panic attacks that occurred without warning and had wanted to help put an end to them.

Thomas had had to resort to getting David to drag Sano into his office when the doctor himself had failed to corner the boy. He spoke little and Sano had glared at him throughout his entire checkup. When Thomas was done with Sano, he sat down and pulled the child to him.

"_Sano," Thomas said to the young man standing between his legs. "I want you to try something for me."_

"_Why?" Sano glared at Thomas distrustfully._

"_I've noticed that you have panic attacks every once in a while." The doctor saw Sano's face darken with shame and anger and tactfully kept the part about the nightmares to himself. _

"_They aren't panic attacks." Sano snapped. "I'm not scared."_

"_I'm not saying that you are." Thomas began._

"_Yes you are! I'm NOT scared! I'm not. Not, not, not, NOT!" Sano yelled at him. _

"_Then tell me what happened." Thomas asked softly ignoring the child's screaming outburst._

_Suddenly, Sano stilled and his eyes grew wide. His small body started to shake as he gasped for breath. Thomas stilled as well and kept himself from reaching out to the boy. He watched as the shaking grew less noticeable and the heavy breathing quieted. Thomas watched as Sano gained control of himself and silently begged for a little patience. _

"_That was a panic attack. I want to help stop them Sanosuke. I know you don't like them. You don't have to be scared to have one. There are ways to help fight them off. "_

_Sano, still slightly shaky, could only nod. _

"_All right then." Thomas drew Sano to him once more. "Here what I want you to do…"_

Sano rolled over onto his side, his coat serving as a pillow, to look around blearily at Saitou's office in the dark.

He didn't remember how he got there, not really. Of course he _knew_ how he got there, he had to have walked. If Chou had come and got him then he wouldn't be in Saitou's office and Sano knew that Saitou would never voluntarily seek him out. Sano was confident that if Sano's presence in the police station was Saitou's idea, then Sano would be in a cell, not the detective's office. Sano stretched his arms above his head smoothly and thought with a grin, especially not unchaperoned and lying on the man's unexpectedly comfortable couch.

Sano snuggled back into the cushions and pulled the blanket up to his nose. His eyes closed of their own accord and he inhaled the cigarette scent that had to belong to Saitou. The sharp acrid smell that usually turned Sano's stomach was surprisingly relaxing to him right now. It helped ease the knot of sickening tension that had been slowly building in him for the past two weeks.

Every time Sano had left his apartment he had felt ill at ease. It seemed as if someone watched him where ever he went. He had stopped to talk to Kenshin that first day but even in the dojo he felt the presence. He had a feeling that Kenshin could feel it to.

Sano had stopped sleeping well very quickly. The nightmares of old seemed to shift and meld together into new ones. But no matter what Sano dreamed, he always dreamed of blood and screams, of pain and horror. He dreamed of his past and present. He dreamed of the future that his mind forced upon him. He dreamed while it whispered to him. _This, this is what you are. This is what you'll always be: nothing. You'll suffer because it suits you. _

The couch groaned softly as he pulled his knees up as close to his chest as he could get them. He couldn't take it anymore. All he wanted to do was sleep. No nightmares, no taunting voices, no creepy ass groping ooglers. No more murders or rapists and especially no fucking body parts at his damn door!

The tightening of his throat and the quickening of his breath were the only warnings he had before the panic attack was on him.


	14. Chapter 14

The atmosphere in Kimiko's was subdued. It was almost empty; a dramatic change from the last time Chou had been there. Most of the regular patrons refused to leave their houses after sunset. The ones that did were always in paranoid groups, not something that was productive for drinking.

Michael stood at the far end of the bar pouring a drink for one of his few customers. He was subtly eying Chou who sat at the other end of the counter in the shadows, trying to stay out of site and debating whether to drink himself stupid or not. Chou honestly didn't know what side was winning; the responsible side that told him Saitou would have his ass, or the reasonable side that said that he deserved to get shitfaced after dealing with a horrendously distraught Sano and touching a fucking heart.

He glared down at the flavored water Michael had given him as a joke when he walked in. _I don't get paid enough for this shit._ He thought as he swirled the light red drink. Today had been the worst day he'd had since he took that fucking shitty deal Saitou had offered him. Almost a year working for that jackass and what did he have to show for it? A crappy job, a crappy boss, and a crappy place to live, that's what.

_Let's not forget the terrified friend who you can't seem to help at all Chou._ The traitorous voice whispered into his ear. Chou scowled and set the glass down harder than he meant to. _Damn it!_

That bastard had been killing for weeks and they weren't anywhere close to finding a suspect, let alone arresting anyone. Men were being killed and the police couldn't protect them. What was worse was the fact that both Chou and Saitou _knew_ that the murder had his eyes set on Sano and they _still_ couldn't catch him!

Sano was in danger, terrible danger. Chou would never deny that. Sooner or later that sick bastard would get tired of killing lookalikes and go after the real thing; and Sano _was_ the real thing. The bastard knew who Sano was, he knew where he lived, and Chou had a feeling that the killer knew where Sano was most of the time.

A body showed up by the police station when Sano was in lock up. A man was killed a few streets from Sano's apartment. The killer left a fucking _heart_ on his doorstep for Christ's sake! What would happen next? Sano couldn't go back. Even if there wasn't any perceivable danger, Saitou wouldn't allow the rooster to go anywhere alone after this. But that raised more questions to be answered. Where would the rooster go? Who would protect him? Who would make sure that he's taken care of?

Chou's scowl morphed into a thoughtful frown. What _would_ happen to Sano? Saitou would take care of it, Chou was aware enough to realize that. But, would Saitou really take care of _Sano_? Would he put the rooster's interests and safety before the case or would he be to tempted to use Sano as bait for the murder?

That thought chilled something inside him. If there was only one word to describe Saitou Hajime, it was determined; and Saitou was nothing but determined to catch this killer. If he thought it was necessary then Chou believed that Saitou would do anything to achieve the desired results; even if that meant putting Sanosuke into harm's way.

"Hey. You alright?" Chou's head jerked up at the interruption. Michael stood in front of him with a concerned expression. "You seem upset about something."

Chou snorted cynically.

"Besides the men being killed seeming every night that the police just can't seem to help and the psychopathic raping murder that we can't find a fucking clue on?" Chou looked back down into his glass and sneered self-depreciatingly. "Oh no, I'm not worried. I'm fucking god damn peachy."

Michael took in Chou's hostility with the ease of a trained observer and checked his responses carefully. One wrong thing said and the officer was gone. Without this man Michael would have no tabs on Sano and the happenings about the murderer. Besides, the officer really looked like he could use an ear. This was a fine line he walked. Too much information given by Michael and he risked exposure, too little and the man wouldn't open up to him.

"Beside the murders and the psycho on the loose I mean."

Chou looked up at the bartender and sighed.

"I might as well have a drink. It's not like I'll get another chance for god knows how long."

Michael nodded and then pulled down a bottle of _Betanon_. It was a wonderful alcohol that a friend of his created. The drink wasn't all that strong, yet it had the feel of a powerful whiskey. It was Adam's and Sarah's favorite. Michael poured Chou a drink in a new glass and pulled up the bar stool that he kept behind the counter for slow times.

"Working hard huh?" he asked to get the conversation started. Michael had found that it was easier to get a conversation going if he was the one to open it. He watched as Chou took a careful sip of his drink. The office obviously enjoyed it for he saluted Michael with the glass.

"I guess you could say that. I've been working 20 hour days and those four hours I have off to sleep are at my desk. Fugita, my boss, wants this bastard far more than any other person. He's big into the _catch the bad guys and make them pay_. It's really pissing him off that we can't get a lead on this guy." Chou took another sip. "And when he can't catch a bad guy he gets pissy and when that happens he makes life for any living soul within his grasp a living hell."

Michael made a non-committal sound and nodded to Chou. Chou took this as permission to continue his rant.

"Although, he's working a lot harder than anyone else is. He rarely leaves the station and when he does it's usually by the orders of the police chief; mandatory day off or required sleep he says, some bull shit like that. He just wants the boss the hell away from the station so the other officers stop crying."

Michael laughed but quickly sobered at Chou's face.

"Really? He makes the officers cry?" The blonde asked skeptically.

"Yeah." Chou answered grimly.

He looked Michael in the eye and analyzed the man in front of him. Now that Chou had had some time to think about it, he was pretty sure this Michael guy knew more than he was letting on. He had a feeling that the blonde in front of him knew Sano. Chou wasn't stupid. He saw the bartender's reaction to his confession about Sano last time he was here, even though the blonde covered it well.

After taking another sip of the alcohol Chou was pretty confident as to where Sano got the coat too. The only things he didn't know were whether Michael was trouble or an ally and whether or not Sano would be happy to know that Chou knew. He was guessing a 'no' on the second one. Chou sighed and decided to scope out the waters a bit more. It wouldn't hurt to try to see where Michael stood on the board.

"My friend, Sano, you remember me mentioning him yeah?" he watched Michael carefully from under his lashes as he leaned his head over his glass. He was rewarded when he saw the other man pause and then nod. "Well it turns out that my boss, who up until this point has treated my friend like shit, actually likes him. Although," Chou paused thoughtfully. "I doubt either one of them realize that little fact. Especially my boss."

"Really?" Michael asked casually, trying his hardest to sound indifferent. "I guess that must be difficult for you, working for someone like that."

"Yeah, it is. I'm getting to the point that all I want to do is shout it at him until he realizes he likes the kid." Chou sighed and took a drink. He looked at Michael, subtly judging the impact that piece of information had caused. The bartender looked like he was trying, and failing, to hide his curiosity. He knew that the blonde had a question burning in his throat, wanting out. Hell, if it were Chou he would have already asked.

"So… your boss likes this kid, right?" Michael gave in and continued when he saw Chou nod. "Well then, what about your friend…Sano?"

"What about him?" Chou asked feigning ignorance. Michael rolled his eyes at Chou and gave a mock glare.

"Don't play that innocence crap with me boyo. I'm the king of that. I can spot a juicy story miles off. Your friend, does Sano like your boss?"

Chou sat back in the seat and played with the rim of the glass that he left on the counter top. He didn't want to answer right away he told himself. Too quickly and he risked giving away too much information. But it was more than that as well. As Chou thought about Sano he realized that he didn't really know himself.

Sano wasn't really what Chou had originally thought him to be. The rooster wasn't stupid, wasn't ignorant. He could take care of himself. He was loyal and yet didn't give that loyalty blindly. He had a great deal of promise that was simply sitting there. He didn't balk in the face of danger and he wasn't scared of a lot of things. _Saitou_, Chou thought with a small grin. Sano definitely wasn't afraid of Saitou, he didn't back down when Saitou pushed. He took what Saitou dished out and most of the time came back up swinging.

It was no wonder Saitou was interested in the brunette. The young man was made of the characteristics that Saitou valued: strong, self-reliant, loyal, intelligent, good looking. Chou ha d to admit that the last one wasn't the most important to Saitou, but it was still a key fact in turning Saitou's head. So it wasn't a question as to whether Saitou liked Sano. The question was whether _Sano_ liked _Saitou._

"I don't really know." Chou hedged.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Michael asked incredulously. "How can you not know? You're friends!"

"Well, that's just it. I think of him as a friend but I don't know if it's the same the other way round. Sano, well… Sano tends to keep Sano to himself." At the blank expression on the bartender's face Chou explained. "Sano acts like this big idiot. He mouths off and gets arrested _all_ _the time_. He hangs out with a lot of different people but he doesn't have a lot of friends. He drinks and gambles but I can tell that that's not who he is, not really. "

Chou paused to take another drink. Michael was silent.

"He doesn't have a lot of friends; acquaintances, yeah, but friends?" Chou shook his head slightly. "No. He doesn't really talk about himself that much. He knows a lot about others but other people don't know a lot about him. It's like he can get someone to spill their guts without having to give anything in return. I've noticed that he likes to deflect conversations away from him self. He's really good at that actually."

_Yes, Sano _is_ very good at that, isn't he?_ Michael thought with amusement. The kid had always hated talking about his self. It was like trying to turn holy water into vodka. It didn't happen all that often.

"I can't tell you for sure if he likes the bastard."

"For sure?" Michael dug. If Sanosuke really did like this Fugita than he would have to honestly think about telling Adam. Adam was protective of Sano and he would want to know everything he could about the officer. Adam wouldn't allow Sano to get involved with someone who had the potential of hurting him or worse, didn't deserve him.

"Well, there are hints."

"Hints." Michael deadpanned.

"Don't look at me like that! It's not like the rooster's gonna just suddenly show up one day out of the blue and want to lock lips with the man! Sano's a dense guy at times. Hell, he doesn't know that half this city wants to jump him at any given time of the day."

Michael's nose scrunched up in mild disgust and discomfort. He _so_ didn't need to know that about Sano.

"What kind of hints?"

"Um… he likes to pick fights with Fugita. He goes out of his way to antagonize him. He respects him, in his own way. He takes a lot of crap from the boss that no other person would get away with. He grumbles about the boss always arresting him but he doesn't do anything about it. He wants the boss's approval, his respect. It bothers him big time when Fugita slaps him down or, God forbid, ignores him."

"Well…" Michael thought about the situation and about Sano in general. He studied Chou for a moment or two and came to a decision. The officer sitting in front of him honestly cared about Sano; and if Chou thought this Fugita could be good for Sano, and Sano for him, then he'd give it a chance to happen. If it went wrong then he could always write David or Jonathan and get one of them to come fix it. "I don't know your boss very well… or Sano, but I could hazard a guess into your friend's actions."

Chou was amused. He really was. Here was an individual who knew Sano, who was pretending to _not_ know him, only to try to give advice to Sano's friend as if he actually _knew_ Sano. Any other day and Chou would have a headache.

"I think that he's confused." At the look on Chou's face he continued. "I think he does really like this guy. You're right about that. But I don't really think that your friend realizes that he like him. I… maybe Sano's in denial or maybe he just doesn't think that it's a crush."

"What?"

"Well. I know people who like other people right away but they think it's just admiration or something."

"So, you think Sano likes Fugita but only thinks that he admires him?" Chou asked slowly.

"Yes!"

"That's nuts."

"What?"

"I'll have you know blondie, that people like people because they like them. Not because they respect them." Chou stopped.

"That made almost no sense." Michael scrunched his nose again.

"Yeah, I could have said that better."

Michael propped his head up on his hand and smiled at Chou. The other man was oblivious to the stare and took another drink from his glass. Michael took advantage of the officer's distraction to look him over and liked what he saw.

"What time is it?" Chou asked glancing around at the emptying bar.

"A little after one." Michael answered glancing over to the clock the back wall.

"Shit." Chou stood up and pulled his coat on roughly. "I've got to get back. The boss'll skin me for being gone so long."

"Well so long cutie." Michael leaned towards Chou and smiled a wide grin. "If you're ever looking for some fun, you know where I am, Honey."

Chou snorted. "Sorry, but you're not my type."

"And what _is_ your type?" The bartender asked with a flirtatious undertone. Chou stopped buttoning his coat to look at him.

Michael was shorter than Chou was, the top of his head reaching Chou's nose. Vivid blue eyes conveyed quiet amusement and the officer couldn't help but remember those few moments weeks ago where they turned to frigid ice. The smaller, thin nose forced Chou's attention down to the man's full and smooth red lips. After a moment of staring at those lips they curved upwards into a soft smile.

Chou dragged his eyes from Michael's lips back to his eyes and noticed a pleased twinkle in them. Michael's hair that hung down to his lower back and framed his pale oval face held more gold than Chou's and the officer suddenly wondered what it would felt like through his fingers. He itched to run his hand through the other man's hair, just once.

"My type?" Chou asked distractedly. Michael nodded slightly and Chou was tempted to sit back down and forget all about Saitou and the murderer. "My type is… well…"

Michael picked up Chou's glass and swallowed the last of the drink, keeping his eyes locked with Chou the entire time. Chou shivered slightly and he took a step towards the chair he had been sitting in. _It would hurt to stay a little while would it?_ Another smaller step._ I mean Saitou has everything covered with Sano._

The thought of Sano sobered Chou more quickly than anything ever before. The allure of the man before him no longer registered and Chou realized what he was doing and saying. He pulled himself up to his full height and said with a light sneer.

"It's not you. That's for certain." Michael jerked back slightly as if struck and looked at him with shocked and hurt eyes. Chou pushed down the guilt. He tossed money down to cover his tab and stalked out of Kimiko's angry with himself.

* * *

When he reached the station almost everyone was gone. Zenagawa, the officer on reserve, was sitting at his disk hunched over a file and writing away. A flash of mischief invaded him and Chou snuck up behind him quietly. He took a silent breath and opened his mouth to shout in the officer's ear.

"You do it kid and you won't have the lungs to do it again." The older man's age-roughened voice was laced with annoyance.

Chou let his breath out in a loud, irritated, huff and glared at the other.

"Why the hell do you keep ruining my fun?" he asked petulantly.

"Why the hell do you keep acting like a friggin' kid?" Zenagawa mimicked. "You're and adult Chou, a big person." Zenagawa turned slightly in his seat to look Chou in the eye. "Act like it."

Chou couldn't resist the opening and shot back.

"Make me."

The older officer rolled his eyes and with a tired sigh went back to work. Chou stopped himself from sticking out his tongue and looked over the man's shoulder.

"Whatcha doing old man?"

Zenagawa glared at Chou over his right shoulder.

"Didn't your parent teach you to treat your elders with respect?"

"Hell no. Dad and Mom taught me that my elders were opportune targets. Get in, get the money, and get the hell out. Once you got out of canning range you were home free."

Zenagawa stared at Chou with disbelief.

"What?" Chou asked self-consciously. "Well you were! It's not like they could chase you if you ran. Can you imagine old chief Takanaka hobbling after little brats for all he's worth, waving his cane in the air? _'Get back here you little bastards! When I catch you I'm going to…OW! My hip, my hip!'_

"Alright, alright; you've made you point Chou." Zenagawa laughed at Chou's impersonation of the former chief and smiled at the younger man with veiled affection.

Chou grinned at Zenagawa and nodded towards the officer's desk. The other man sighted and turned back to the file. He gathered the loose papers together, stuck them in the folders, and handed the file to Chou.

"I was just going over the case again."

"Again?" Chou asked disbelivingly, taking the file from the older man. "Don't you have this thing memorized yet? I know Fugita and me do."

"It's not that." The other man said shaking his head.

"Well then, what is it?"

"It's just… it bothers me is all."

"Fuck. It _bothers_ you? Hell man, it _bothers_ a lot of people. The boss is _bothered_ enough for everyone right now."Chou and Zenagawa glared at each other slightly.

"Not like that!" the older man snapped. "I mean, there something in that file that bothers me. It's seems too obvious; too easy, too smooth of an operation. It's like the guy knows what's going on and he's taunting us with it."

Chou was a little surprised. Sure he and Saitou knew that the psycho was taunting them but to have someone else say it like that?

"I've got to get back to work." Zenagawa interrupted Chou's musings. "I have tons of paperwork to do now that Sakamoto's no use."

"Sakamoto?" Chou didn't remember that officer.

"Yeah, that new kid from Osaka." Chou remembered then. He'd only been in Tokyo for a few months. He hadn't made many friends yet and then the murderer appeared on the scene, effectively shutting down any time for a life.

"Why's he no use?"

"He pissed Fugita off. The cricket bastard has him going through the file rooms, by himself."

Chou whistled. Whatever he did, the kid was off to a piss poor start. He'd be dead by the end of the month. Chou recalled Zenagawa's description of Saitou and grinned.

"You've been spending too much time with Sagara." Zenagawa smirked.

"Hey, I actually like the kid. He's only a trouble maker when he gets drunk and even then it's when others start it. Besides, he's got balls. I don't know anyone besides him, and maybe you _sometimes_, that stands up to Fugita _to his face_."

"Yeah well. That doesn't make him admirable. That makes him stupid."

Both men laughed shortly and then the older officer sobered. Zenagawa looked around subtly and leaned in to Chou's space.

"He's still here." He whispered to Chou. Chou was startled.

"Fugita's _still_ here?" The other man shook his head.

"No, that's the thing. He left awhile ago. The kid's still in his office though." His eyes darted to the back hallway. "I think Sakamoto might have said something about Sagara and unintentionally pissed Fugita off."

Chou's eyes narrowed in thought. If Saitou left the rooster here in the station in his office unguarded, then he must think the rooster will be safe for the time being. That means Saitou was up to something.

"I'm gonna go…" he nodded his head in the direction of Saitou's office. Zenagawa seemed to understand and nodded. Chou thought he might have even looked a little relived.

He made his way to Saitou's office quietly. The door was closed and upon investigation, locked. That wasn't really an issue for Chou who had a spare key to the lock. He slipped the key ring out of his pocket and unlocked the Saitou door. He slipped quietly into the room so he wouldn't disturb the rooster if he was sleeping. With the door shut softly behind him and locked back he turned to look for the Sanosuke shaped lump on the couch.

That's when he heard Sano's cry of distress.


	15. Chapter 15

_He couldn't breathe._ _He couldn't breathe and he was going to die._

Sano gripped his chest, trying to gasp in air. His heart was pounding in his throat and his eyes stung with panicked tears; he pressed himself against the couch's back and gasped harshly. His fisted hands shook and his stomach was tightening with every passing second and he knew that if he didn't breathe he'd suffocate and that wasn't a way he wanted to go.

_Shit! It's no use, I can't breathe right!_ Sano thought terrified. He let out a harsh sob and gritting his teeth, pushed his forehead into the palm of his hand. _I can't believe this is how I'm going to die… slowly suffocating on Saitou's couch._

The sudden grip on his wrist terrified him and he yanked back against the stranger, his scream coming through as a loud, rasping wheeze. The hold on him tightened and Sano's fright escalated even higher. His mind, muddled from his exhaustion and cold and fueled by the panic attack, was shutting down and Sano thought that if his heart pounding out his chest didn't kill him, the rapist would. He was going to be raped and killed. He'd be helpless to stop him.

Sano felt a surge of strength and tried to push the man away. Instead he was yanked closer to the rapist and Sano's strength left him. As he continued to gasping he felt his eyes cloud and spill over with resigned tears.

"…ter head."

He dropped his head to lie on the cushion.

"Rooster head."

His eyelids tightened and he continued to take short, useless breaths. He didn't know why he was still trying to breath. The man was just going to kill him anyway.

"SANO!"

Sano jerked and his eyes snapped open. He looked up, glanced a blurry shape that looked something like Chou, and felt his terror of the rapist rapidly drain out of him; leaving a dark hole in his chest.

"Sano! What's going on? Are you hurt? Was someone here? Sano? Sano!"

The blind panic Sanosuke heard in his friend's voice helped pull him away from the ache he felt. He tried to reassure the blonde but instead, when he couldn't get enough air and his head spun, remembered why he was in this state in the first place. He closed his eyes again to stop the dizziness. It wouldn't be much longer. He could feel unconsciousness starting to over take him.

"Sano! Sano please, what's going on?"

The need to calm Chou rose up in him and drove most of Sano's own panic to the back. Chou was upset and usually there wasn't anything he could do about that, but this time Chou's distress was because of him. He was the cause. Sano closed his eyes and tried to focus.

"_Here's what I want you to do…"_ The memory replayed vividly and Thomas had sounded so sure. _"I want you to focus on something, alright? If someone's with you then focus on them. Knowing that you're not alone may help." _

He forced his eyes open and looked up at Chou. Through the darkness he could just make out the fright. He pulled his arm out of Chou's grasp and clutched at his hand, shaking slightly.

"_What happens, when you're panicked and can't breathe, is that you start to hyperventilate. So when you start to breathe to quickly and can't catch your breath, breath through your nose. It's impossible to hyperventilate through your nose."_

Sano clamped his mouth shut and flared his nostril's, trying to take in as much air as he could. He had to try to block out Chou's now slightly hysterical voice so that he could focus on getting control of himself. He refused to give in. He had had panic attacks before and he knew that he could stop this one.

"_Just take deep breaths through your nose. Focus on something while thinking that you _can_ breathe. Say to yourself that you're in control. No one's there to hurt you. You're in control. You are the one that makes the decisions about yourself. You are the one in control, not your body."_

Sano's mind whirled. _I'm in control. This is my body and it does what I tell it to. I'm the one giving orders, not it. I want to breathe, damn it! I want to breathe and Chou's here. Chou's here so there wouldn't be anyone else here but Saitou_.

Sano felt his chest loosen a little at the thought of the man. Saitou wouldn't let someone hurt him like that, not here. Saitou would protect him because Sano was in his office, on his couch, so that made Sano his responsibility. His chest loosened even more and he felt something give way a little. Breathing became easier and when he inhaled deeper he felt much needed air course through his deprived lungs.

He closed his eyes and squeezed Chou's hand, focusing on breathing slowly, in and out. After a minute or two his head stopped spinning and his stomach was relaxed enough that he didn't feel so sick. The panic that had remained in the back of his mind slowly left him as it became easier to breathe. He was in control and he wasn't willing to lose that again, not with Chou nearby and most definitely not in Saitou's office.

"Sano!" Chou called to him again. Sano squeezed the hand he was holding and opened his bleary eyes to gaze at the other. He tried to offer up a smile but it was strained and they both knew it. "Are you all right? What happened?"

Sano took a few deep breaths and ever so slowly stilled the shaking in his limbs.

"Don't worry." He managed to whisper.

"Don't worry? Don't worry?" Chou's voice was almost shrill. "You were freaking out! I thought you were dying! I thought you were going to die right here and there was nothing I…"

"Chou…" Sano cut him off.

The blond bit off his frightened speech and clamped his mouth shut. The tight grip that he had on the brunette's hand said all that was necessary though.

"I…it…" he took a deep breath and continued to speak in that harsh whispering voice that Chou strained to hear. "It… I panicked, okay?"

"Panicked?"

"Yeah, I get panic attacks every once in a while. It doesn't happen all that often."

"You make it sound like it's no big deal! How can you take it so calmly?"

"Because you're not." That shut the blonde up. "I can't afford to panic when you already are."

Silence enveloped the room and Chou squeezed his hand again.

"I'm sorry, Rooster head. I'm so sorry. I should have…" the guilt and anxiety Sano heard in his friend's voice was awful.

"No, Chou. It's not your fault." He cut the other's shamed dialog off. "There's nothing you could have done. You've never dealt with an attack like that before so of course there wasn't any way for you to have helped or stop it."

"You said that this has happened before?"

Sano hesitated. Should he tell him? Could he? Well of course he could tell him, but what would Chou think of him afterwards? Would he think him weak? Unable to take care of himself?

"Yeah… but not for a while, a couple of years at least." Sano hurried to clarify, wanting to sound as less weak as possible.

"Sano…"

"M'tired." He slurred, hoping to get Chou to drop it. "Don't feel s'good."

He heard Chou sigh and felt as the other man pulled to cover back up over his shoulders. He bit back a small smile as he felt hand tuck the blanket securely around him and effectively cocooned him in. _maybe I'll turn into a butterfly._ He thought with a silent chuckle. A cool hand was placed on his hot forehead and he pushed his forward into it with a sigh.

"You're still really sick." A pause. "I'm actually surprised that you know what's going on. You were really out of it earlier."

"Hm." The hand pulled away and he groaned at the loss.

"Sleep, Rooster. I'm sure you'll feel better in a few days."

The warmth of the cover and the soft couch called to him and, honestly, sleep sounded really nice right then. The last thing he was really aware of was the smell of cigarettes lulling him into much needed sleep.

* * *

Alright that's it for now. However, I had a review and though I normally don't, I wanted to share this one with you guys. I laughed myself silly on this one. I lOVED it! Thank you for your awesome review ranchan-akari.

~SaitouLover

From ranchan-akari

You continuing this fic, right? RIGHT? WE NEED TO KNOW SANO'S PAST! I'm so stinkin' intrigued! His foreign friends seem so awesome! And I love how Chou totally sees Sano as a friend...and Saitou in denial-land with his attraction. *laughs* Need more! You keep leaving us with more and more mysteries, and dude, do we need to see the serial rapist/killer DEAD. Preferably at Saitou's hands. Because he's sorta insanely scary/hot/scary when he's got that Aku-Soku-San thing going. XD


	16. Chapter 16

The house was silent as he entered, as it should be. After all, no one lived there but him and he preferred his solitude. Even if he had longed for company, which he didn't, who would have him? He knew that he was impossible so why bother trying?

He had stopped just inside the door when all his senses came alive, singing, like the ringing of a blood-hungry blade unsheathed. His blood rushed through him and his ears pricked up, trying to catch the faintest of sounds. There was nothing.

He clicked the sword partially out of the sheath and continued forward, slowly and cautiously, methodically searching for the perpetrator, room by room. He silently cleared the foyer and living rooms, den, dining, and kitchen so when he turned down the side hallways that lead to the library and office, he paused. His office door was slid ever so slightly open. His hand rested on his sword's hilt as he approached the open door and with a calm, battle prepared breath, entered the room.

The office was pitch black but his eyes adjusted quickly. His desk was directly forward and facing him, nestled between two windows. Bookcases and filing cabinets, housing his work, lined the walls. The deep red carpet, his favorite because it was the color of blood, lay under his boot clad feet. Nothing was out of order. The strike of a match behind him caused Saitou to tense.

"The great Saitou Hajime." The voice belonged to a man and it carried a soft, calm, danger with it as it echoed in the dark confines of the room. Saitou narrowed his eyes at the familiarity and turned around slowly.

"You know my name but do I know yours?" He asked calmly.

"No." He could hear the smirk.

"That doesn't seem particularly fair. You seem to have me at a disadvantage." He laced his words with saccharine hurt. The intruder lit the cigarette that dangled from his mouth and his face was partially illuminated by the orange glow of match on paper. His features, however, receded too quickly for Saitou to memorize.

"No, but neither of us are the type to believe or care about fair, are we?"

"You seem sure of yourself." Saitou glared at the glowing cigarette butt. Of what he could tell, he and the intruder were similar in build, tall and lean and mean.

"I should." He said after exhaling, smoke drifting into nothingness. Saitou's glare intensified.

"One would wonder why you broke into an officer's house and took said officer's belongings." The venom that Saitou heard in his own voice momentarily shocked him.

"I've done no such thing… Officer Fugita." The man answered mockingly. His speech was thicker, as if forced, and the roll of the man's words made Saitou believe that this stranger in his house was foreign; which brought a whole slew of questions to mind.

"Says the man smoking my cigarettes." Saitou shot back causing the other to chuckle.

"Didn't you know?" Another puff of smoke. "These things will kill you. I'm practically saving your life."

"If you're here for a reason then hurry up and get out."

"Oh, touchy." He straightened and stepped away from the wall and Saitou readied for an attack. "Tell me, Fugita. What if someone took something of yours? Beside's your precious cigarettes. What would you do?"

Saitou tensed further at the scorn and well hidden malice he heard in those questions. He knew it was a trap but responded anyway.

"Get it back, of course."

"Really?"

"Yes. I keep what's mine." He straightened his back and loosened his muscles a bit.

"So you protect what's yours?"

"Yes." Short and clipped.

"How far would you go, hm?" The question was filled with morbid curiosity and, at the same time, sounded like a challenge.

"However far I needed to."

"What are you willing to do?"

"Whatever I needed to."

"Are you willing to die Saitou-san?" The man asked quietly. He approached at a slow pace, his face staying in the shadows of the room. Saitou stood his ground as the intruder reached him and he kept his hand on his sword as the back of a gloved hand traced his jaw gently, a mockery of a lover's touch. "To protect what you view as yours, are you willing to stand and take death's hand?"

"Yes." Saitou answered the silent and subtle threat without hesitation. The hand slid to the back of Saitou's neck and drew him forward even as the other man leaned in. The two stopped a hair's breadth away from each other's lips and Saitou felt the warm breathe of the man in front of him as they waited each other out.

Saitou knew what he was dealing with now. This man pressed against him, embracing him as if a familiar lover, was a killer; a cold blooded thing whose need to destroy and slaughter at whim was kept behind gates of reinforced iron will and control. Saitou knew this. After all, this man's soul mirrored his own when it was at its darkest and most forlorn hour.

The two men were silent until the stranger smirked, the electrified expanse between them closed and their lips met ever so slightly. That light convergence sent a small jolt of shocking fervor through Saitou's thinly pressed lips and the man dropped the cigarette in his hand onto the floor. He pulled back, Saitou's neck pulsing from the loss of the hand's pulsing heat, ground it out with the heel of his boot and stepped towards the door.

"Let's do hope that it doesn't come to that, hm Saitou?" He said walking out. He stopped a moment and, without turning, said over his shoulder "He would be very upset if my brother or I killed you."

And with that, the man was gone. His form melted seamlessly into the darkness until there was nothing left but shadows and a sense of foreboding in Saitou's chest, gripping his heart in its cold, aching, embrace.

Saitou watched the empty frame for a moment longer, reigning in the slight shudders racking his body, and then proceeded to close and lock all the windows and doors. He'd have Chou take care of getting them changed tomorrow. Tonight, however, was going to be spent preparing the guest room for the Ahou and wondering who the hell that man was and how he had found his cigarettes.

* * *

Chou gripped the gun in his hand tighter as he heard a key in the office door. Though it was most likely Saitou, he wasn't taking any chances. Saitou would never forgive him if something preventable happened to Sano, and while he hated guns as much as the older man did, it was probably a necessary precaution.

The door opened quietly and Chou was grateful that enough early morning light filtered in through the closed curtains so he could tell it was Saitou who had slipped into the room noiselessly. The other man had changed out of yesterday's uniform into a more casual outfit, and Chou was momentarily startled. The glare his employer sent him withered the questions budding on his tongue and he bit back a sigh.

Saitou crossed the few feet to the couch and knelt over the rooster cushioned within blankets. He tugged the covers back and they both snorted as feet met cold air. How the rooster had changed positions on the couch without Chou noticing, he didn't know. Saitou apparently found it amusing though if the soft smirk was anything to go by.

The blanket over the rooster's face was gently pulled back and Chou was surprised and a bit relived to note the young man's face relaxed in slumber. Saitou paused, merely looking, and Chou felt a warm prickling in his chest as he observed Saitou watching Sano sleep, a peculiar gentleness to his gaze. Saitou, strangely, was now softer, his bearing less tense and Chou knew things had changed. Whatever happened while he had been gone had changed things and he was certain he was seeing a part of the real Saitou.

"Chou." His name quietly spoken woke him from his musings. Saitou was standing yet again and watching him with his usual stare. Chou sighed. It seemed that the only one about to benefit from these changes would be the rooster head.

"Yeah, boss?" He asked just as quietly. Both men wanted to keep Sano asleep for as long as possible. The brunette still looked horrible, the dark circles hadn't lessened and the fever had set in even further throughout the night. Sano needed sleep and food. Both things he couldn't get at this station or his hellhole apartment.

Saitou walked to him and pulled out his key ring as he went, holding the keys to keep them from jangling. The key to Saitou's house was pulled off and slipped to Chou and Chou looked at his boss with confusion.

"I want you to go and have all the doors and windows changed. Today." Chou's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to argue but Saitou raised his hand and shook his head. "Someone was in my house last night."

Chou snapped his mouth shut and looked towards the couch worriedly.

"Don't worry Chou."

"Don't worry? Don't _worry_? Why the hell wouldn't I worry?" He looked at Saitou in disbelief.

Saitou looked on in amusement and when Chou reached a pause he cut in, wanting to end this so the blonde could get started at his home.

"Yes, Chou, don't worry. I believe he was an acquaintance of the rooster."

"A friend of Sano broke into _your_ house?" Disbelief colored his words and Saitou smirked.

"Yes. I believe it was one of his _distant_ friends." A moment or two and Chou understood, a foreigner had been in Saitou's house and obviously said something. Well, crap. "He threatened me and I must say it was quite effective." Well, fuck.

"He's still alive?" Saitou nodded. Well, _fuck_. "You let him live?"

"It wasn't really a matter of me letting him." Well, crap and fuck. _How the hell did that happen?_

"He was that good?"

"I don't know. I didn't really wish to try my luck." A slight sensation of dread filled him. "And if he ever appears in the house again, don't try yours. I doubt he'd do anything with the rooster present but best not to push."

Chou took a breath and closed the key into a fist. He looked Saitou in the eye and saw a flicker of unease. Chou was nervous. What the hell had happened to make a man like Saitou Hajime, one of the most self-assured men he knew, nervous? Was this stranger that impressive?

"I need my house finished as soon as possible, Chou." Saitou pulled him from his dismay.

"Where will you be?"

"Here, I have paperwork to finish and then I'll be waiting for you to come back. Once the house is done we'll take the rooster over there."

"And what happens after we get him there?" He fingered the key and thought over a few good locksmiths that would be willing to take an immediate job.

"The chief _recommended_ that I take a couple days off." Chou snorted. "So I'll be there. After my leave is up I'll be coming back in. You, however, will be staying to keep an eye on things."

Chou looked at Saitou in disbelief. _Him_ in _Saitou's_ house? The wolf den? _Alone_?

"Alone?"

Saitou rolled his eyes and huffed.

"Yes Chou, alone. I trust that you're house broken." A pause. "You _are_ aren't you?" Chou glared at the other man and thumbed his nose. "I'll take that as a yes. Now I'll need you to…"

A soft groan interrupted the instructions and Saitou's focus was transferred to the young man on the couch. The brunette's gaunt face tensed and his forehead drew down into a frown as some nightmare or other intruded into his sleep. He turned back to the blonde before him and continued.

"I'll need you to oversee the work and then when that's done run over to the old doctor Genzai's clinic. Get him to the house so he can look the rooster over. If she's there, don't let the fox-lady know what's going on. Let her believe it's some officer or other."

Chou's eyebrow slowly rose as he listened to Saitou's orders. He knew the other man took his duties seriously but this was another side to the anti-social and territorial man. He took in Saitou's determination and the soft groan from Sano and didn't argue. The sooner the rooster was somewhere safe and comfortable the better.

He nodded and headed out of the station. Zenagawa was asleep at his desk, head lolled to the side, and he couldn't see Sakamoto anywhere, poor boy was probably still in the record rooms. Officers from the night shift and for the morning shift were trickling in and Chou nodded as he passed by them on his way out the door.


	17. Chapter 17

Sano sat against the open door frame, gazing out at the walled garden. Dying purple and blue flowers mingled with orange and yellow, drawing the eye. Soft, snow-covered grass carpeted everything but where the stone path led to the Sakura tree on the far side of the space. It was quiet and Sano found himself bored. He had been there for over a week, most of that time in the bedroom recuperating and sleeping. Saitou and Chou had been the only ones in the house, Saitou returned late and left early and Chou wasn't really able to provide stimulating conversation… not that he knew Sano was capable of that kind of talk.

_Honestly_, Sanosuke thought to himself, _it's my own fault really. I've spent so long playing the stupid drunken idiot that that's the only thing others see now. _He closed his eyes and clenched his fists weakly. _Adam would be so ashamed._

Footsteps approached and Sanosuke bit back a frustrated sigh. _How hard is it to leave me the hell alone for an hour or two?_ He glanced down the hallway and looked back at the naked tree as he thought idly of spring and when the tree would bloom. The steps died out as they reached him.

"Why the hell are you sitting out here? Aren't you freezing Rooster?"

"Not really." Sano answered uninterestedly, hoping the other man would grow bored and _leave_. A stiff silence filled the space between the two until Chou huffed and flopped down beside him, the blonde mummified in a heavy coat. A cold breeze came over the walls and stirred up the resting snow. It swiftly made its way past the two sitting on the outside porch and blew through the open screen and down the hallway, sapping the heat from the walls of the house as it went.

Chou shivered and pulled his coat tighter around his body. He watched as Sano closed his eyes and turned his face into the chilling breeze, a small smile on his pale lips. The brunette was dressed in one of Saitou's heavier kimono and a light hiyoku underneath. The kimono was a dark blue with black edging and white flower petals along the left chest panel, dancing in an invisible and still breeze. Chou had seen Saitou wearing it at a festival once before and he knew that there was a golden wolf poised to attack embroidered on the bottom right side. The obi was the same shade as the wolf and the hiyoku was a pure white, the same shade as the flower petals on the kimono. Chou didn't know how Sano expected to survive once the older man found him wearing the outfit. But looking at the younger man as he was now, rested against the door frame, head tilted and his face relaxed in a subsided tranquility, he had to admit that the rooster looked good.

Sano shifted his hands in his lap and Chou worried about the younger man freezing to death without a coat or gloves.

"You're not cold?" he asked again, unbelieving.

"No." Sano sounded so calm.

"At all? Really?" Doubt laced his voice.

Sanosuke's composed gaze slid to the other and held for several moments until the blonde shifted in discomfort and Sano looked back to the garden. He closed his eyes again and let the chill air caress his still heated skin.

"No."

Chou huffed and watched the garden for a minute or two until the boredom became too much. "Let's go back inside. It's too cold." He whined.

"Go ahead, I'm not stopping you."

"Rooster…" He started warningly.

"I may be a prisoner here Chou, but I'll be damned if I'm kept hidden like some dirty secret."

"You're not a prisoner." Chou said in exasperation.

"Am I allowed to leave this house without Saitou's permission?" Sano asked him casually.

"No…" Chou said slowly, unsure quite where the other was going with this.

"And you're here to make sure I _don't_ leave?"

"Yes, but…" Chou started to argue back.

"Then I'm a prisoner."

"You're not a prisoner!" He snapped. "You're in police protection."

Sano snorted ungracefully and crossed his arms, cold hands slipped into sleeves. "Semantics."

"Damn it!" Chou stood and glared at Sanosuke. "What the _hell_ is your problem? We're trying to _protect_ you!"

Sano looked at Chou blankly until the officer threw his hands up in frustration and stomped off into the darkened, cold house.

* * *

He lost track of time after that. It seemed that one moment the winter sun and breeze were lulling him with gentle light and soft song, and the next he had opened his eyes and it was just about sunset. He could see the sky had darkened considerably and shadows had swallowed the garden.

Sano shifted groggily and when he reached upwards to rub the sleep from his eyes he registered the blanket covering him. He fingered the worn edges and welcomed the warmth it brought him. The blanket slipped further down so he pulled it back up over his shoulder and Sano rubbed his cheek against the soft well worn wool and sighed deeply, inhaling sword polish and cigarettes.

Saitou.

The cover belonged to Saitou. The smell of cigarettes was strong and it was something that he associated with the police officer. Sano had always hated that thick, clawing odor. But now for some unfathomable reason, as he sat on the man's back porch taking in the last of the sunlight and reveling in the subtle heat, he took comfort from it and found a weird and surprising sense of safety.

That in and of itself would have and frankly _should have_ caused Sano distress. Until a couple months ago, Sano never would have equated safety with _Saitou._ The man had shoved a fucking sword through him and let him bleed out on Kaoru's floor!

Sano gazed down softly at the smooth brown wool that was covering him and felt his half-hearted anger at the older man slip away, being too tired to keep it and direct it. He was still sick, Sano knew that. The ache was slowly leaving but the deep-seated weariness wasn't. Sano was tired _all the time_. He couldn't dredge up the energy needed to act like himself, like the idiot everyone expected.

He looked outside at the dark garden again and sighed softly. He'd have to go in soon and warm up. Getting worse was not something he wanted to do. Having to stay in Saitou's house was one thing but in his house and _in his care_ was another. Being powerless and under Saitou's direct control was a daunting and somewhat frightening situation to be in for Sano and one to be avoided.

Though, thinking back on this past week, Saitou hadn't tried to dominate him or the situation. He had simply brought Sano into his house and ordered Chou to take care of him. Of course the first couple of days were a bit hazy and he didn't really remember them but Sano was confident that the older man had avoided spending any more time in his presence than necessary.

_Not that that was hard to believe_ Sano chuckled humorlessly; eyes closed and head rested back against wood. Not many people _wanted_ to stick around. He could count on two hands the people that genuinely enjoyed his company and his _friends_ here in Tokyo took up less than one of them; Katsu and Kenshin… maybe, Katsu definitely, but Kenshin? Not so rurouni tended to put up with him more than anything. _Like an amusing stray; you like them around as long as you don't have to take them in. _Adam and the others solidly rounded off the ten.

God he missed them.

The striking of a match jerked him from his wonderings. He looked up to find Saitou leaning on the opposite side of the door frame; arms crossed and left leg over his right, looking down at him with gold wolverine eyes. The man was in his uniform, fresh from work, with his jacket open and wrinkled black shirt showing.

"You're back early." Sano stated, trying to avoid the man's stares.

"Hn." Saitou responded, annoying Sano with his insubstantial answer.

"Usually you come skulking back after midnight." Sano knew that because he'd been awake these past few nights, laying in bed afraid of nightmares, and had heard the muffled foot falls mingling with the soft chiming of the desk clock in his room. Home at midnight work at six.

Saitou sucked at the cigarette and exhaled and Sano couldn't tell where the smoke ended and the man's warm biting breath began. Saitou looked down at him evenly and Sano found it difficult to look away from that strong, composed gaze. The space between them seemed to grow heavier and the young man pulled the blanket tighter, closer to him, to ward it off. He managed to pull his gaze away from Saitou and looked out at the stars materializing in the blank sky.

Saitou stepped outside and gracefully slid down to the ground, legs crossed and back against the frame. As the two men sat there in the quiet stillness, Sano looking for the constellations he remembered as a child and Saitou calmly smoking, an easy peace slid between them and Sano felt no rush to fracture it.

"We should speak Ahou." Saitou spoke up after a while. Sano glanced at the older man and decided not to waste the energy hoping that the other would stop there. An awkward, tongue-tied, hush dominated again and Sano wanted to be anywhere but there; sitting on the porch with this man, listening to him make a lackadaisical effort at a weighty discussion.

"Why are you here?" Sano questioned quietly.

Cigarette smoke blew past and Sano caught the strong tang that clung to Saitou Hajime like a second hide. The yellow eyes glared up at the moon and Saitou was quiet for a few endless moments before speaking.

"The Chief of Police has decided to call in a different lead investigator." An ash tray materialized from the other side of the officer and the spent butt was ground out. "There hasn't been enough significant headway to satisfy the public."

"So they fired you?" The incredulity was blatant to both of them and Sano felt genuine anger for Saitou's dismissal. Anyone could see how hard the man worked, how seriously he took the threat of a serial killer running loose in Tokyo. Writing him off so easily was unfathomable to the younger man and frankly, they were just going to make things that much worse. The stupidity of politicians never stopped knocking Sano for a loop.

"In a matter of speaking… yes. Of course they rushed to reassure me that I'm still employed as a detective here. I'm merely on extended leave until this new detective gets _my_ job done." The pure adulterated disdain was bitter to Sanosuke's ears and he couldn't shake his disbelief.

"So they fired you?" He asked again. Saitou eyes slid over to him and the man's mouth curved slightly in a twisted parody of his normal smirk.

"It would seem so."

Sanosuke wrung his hands in frustrating incomprehension and clenched his teeth. Why was this anger he felt on Saitou's behalf so strong? Saitou was a grown man. He could take care of himself, had done so long before Sano had ever came along. The man was a walking weapon for Buddha's sake! Sano sat straight and the blanket fell into his lap, wool whispering against heavy silk as he looked Saitou in the eyes.

"You didn't kill them did you?"

Saitou threw his head back and barked out an amused laugh and Sano jerked back, momentarily shocked.

He had never heard Saitou laugh before. Scoff, most certainly. But not _laugh_. Definitely not, he'd remember that. Sano titled his head slightly and looked at the man across from him. He would never be accused of being beautiful or classically handsome but Sano couldn't deny that there was something about Saitou Hajime that was appealing. His golden eyes crinkling in authentic amusement and the slight smile across his thin firm lips stole years of harshness from the man and Sano's stomach pulsed in a bizarre _thump-thump_ manner that made his brain wobbly and short-circuit in silly and unexpected ways.

Saitou Hajime didn't need beauty to be attractive.

"No Ahou. I didn't kill them, though sometimes it's tempting." Saitou chuckled. He looked over at the younger man and Sano felt that _thump-thump_ again when he noticed that not only was the stern man's smile a lopsided one, but it looked completely natural despite its rarity.

"How could they do that?" He forced the words out of his parched throat. Saitou's smile disappeared and Sano felt a different kind of ache to see it gone. The other man pulled another cigarette out of its pack and hid behind his walls of formality and calculated distance even as he lit it with a burning wooden match.

"Easily. They simply proved that I'm incompetent and the Chief had no choice but to concede."

"But that's not true!" Sano exclaimed. "You're one of the best!"

Saitou looked at him and after an extended moment his cool gaze warmed ever so slightly and he tilted his head in acknowledgement of Sano's words. He knocked the ash off the end of his cigarette and slipped it between his lips with a deft hand, causing Sano to swallow the other comments on his tongue. A gust of wind blew into the garden and snow kicked up onto the deck and Saitou reached down to brush away the light dusting that had gathered on his pants leg.

"It suits you."

"What?" Sano asked confused at the sudden change in topic.

"The kimono." He clarified motioning to the outfit adorning Sano.

Sano flushed in embarrassment for being caught wearing something that was _very much_ not his own. He had only planned on wearing it for a little while, the urge to feel the wonderful silk on his skin having proved too great to resist.

He had been looking for a yukata to wear as _his_ clothes had seemingly disappeared after his kidnapping by the officers and his installation in Saitou's home. He had been stuck in a light nemaki since he had woken up from his fever and he was sick and tired of it. So while he had been hunting through the house, he had ended up in the older man's rooms.

The room had been warm, rich brown walls adorned with nick-naks and paintings drew his gaze. Dried flowers sat in small vases strategically placed throughout and soft cotton rugs rested upon the floor. The large futon that normally lay out in the center of the room had been folded up and now sat against the left wall beneath an impressive dagger display.

A crackle caught his attention and Sano drifted over to the far wall were the fire place was situated. Above it on the mantle place lay a single battered sword in its sheath. He slowly raised his hand to touch it but hesitated before bringing his fingers into contact. The sword was obviously important. It was the sole focus point, its beauty drawing the eye as Sano was sure it was meant to. The hilt was what Sano guessed to be black cotton cord over dark fish skin and the sheath was lacquered a deep red wine. There were nicks on its sheath, as if it had been used to block blows from an enemy in the midst of battle and Sanosuke knew that this sword had seen blood, had been wielded by an impressive force of power. Whether that power was Saitou or another he didn't know but Sano wasn't tempted to test the man's ire so he withdrew his questioning hand from the katana and turned away.

His eyes fell upon the wardrobe in the corner so he padded over to it hopefully. The wooden doors swung open and Sano had pulled out the first worn looking blue yukata he had seen. He was about to close the doors when he happened to glimpse the box nestled at the bottom of the cabinet and Sano found himself sitting on the floor with it securely in his lap.

The old mahogany was worn down and smooth beneath his hands and as he gently traced the cherry blossoms that had been delicately carved into the top with his fingers, he was awed that Saitou owned something so elegant. With curiosity Sanosuke lifted the lid and found a kimono wrapped in white tatoshi paper sitting inside. He carefully unwrapped the paper and felt his breathe hitch ever-so slightly as the beautiful patterns came into view.

It was only a matter of time before Sano had been standing in the middle of Saitou's room, the striking kimono adorning his thin frame. He ran his fingers over the flower petals on his chest compulsively and had twisted to see the gorgeous wolf on the bottom right side, marveling at such a beautiful thing.

Now, however, Sano was mortified to be wearing it. What had he been thinking going through Saitou's things? What would the man do now that he knew Sano had invaded his personal things?

"I'm sorry Saitou." He bowed his head to try to hide his reddened cheeks and clenched his hands on his lap to still the trembling.

"For being in my rooms or going through my private things that you should not have?" The man asked with a calm demeanor.

"Both." Sano answered softly. "I was looking for something to wear."

"And I see you found something." He said amused at Sano's discomfort and embarrassment. He watched as the younger man flinched slightly and couldn't help but feel a bit weary of Sano's fear of him.

When he had arrived home early Chou had been in the middle of a hissy-fit and had practically quit, saying he was on his own with the idiot for the next few days. The blonde was out the door and down the street before Saitou realized what had happened. After that it was just a matter of tracking the idiot down; which wasn't all that hard seeing as how he was still recovering. The old doctor had been in his home for over two hours before he had spoken to him, displeasure clear in his deep scowl. Sanosuke was afflicted by a severe cold due to exhaustion. His body was worn down, far past acceptable limits. He was under weight, stressed, and suffering from what Genzai believe to be cronic nightmares.

Genzai in full professional mode would have been humorous if it wasn't for the slight menace Saitou found directed at him. The old man barely rose past his chest but he seemed much more dangerous when waving a filled syringe about with unsettlingly purposeful aim.

When the doctor had finished lecturing Saitou, a full half-hour later, he had gone back to Sanosuke, covered him with _another_ blanket and then huffily left, glaring at him with disapproval of the situation obvious, muttering about stupid, pig-headed, stubborn, blind officers.

"_Sano should be in the clinic, not here in _your_ house, Fugita-San!" The old man's wrinkled hands were fisted on his hips, foot tapping rapidly on the floor. "He needs to be taken care of!"_

"_Which is why you are here, Sensei. He can't be out in the open. He's at too much risk anywhere but here."_

"_But why _here_?" He narrowed his eyes. "Even I know how the two of you can't get along. Like children the both of you. Always squabbling and clucking about. Don't think I don't know how you like to provoke him. You despise him, Fugita-San. Don't think I'll stand by and let you abuse the situation here!"_

"_Sensei." Saitou had tried to placate. "He's safe here. And he's annoying yes, but I don't hate him. He's entertaining when riled. I enjoy annoying him, I don't want him harmed."_

_The old doctor had stilled his syringe briefly and had glared at him for a few moments before nodding shortly and launching into a care regiment that Saitou and Chou would need to follow._

Saitou shook his head. The old man was irritated that his patient was not allowed in his clinic but had conceded to necessity. He had stopped by every day until the rooster's fever broke and every other day after. He made a point to emphasize Sano's returning health and the fact that one day soon the rooster would be completely healed.

"_Keeping your household in order will be a challenge then, ah Fugita-San? He'll make sure you're as unhappy as he is!" The doctor smirked at Saitou's glaring face._

"_Yeah!" Chou turned to the doctor with a sly smirk. "Like a regular wife."_

_Saitou hadn't known what to say to such depravity so he stood silently in shock as the two idiots had laughed and further still as Chou had shown the elder man out._

Saitou snorted and watched as Sanosuke jumped, the younger man's eyes darting up to meet his before looking away hastily. He sighed irritated and crushed his cigarette out.

"Ahou. Why are you behaving like a scared child?" He asked exasperatedly.

Sano felt surprise run through him at Saitou's question. He wasn't mad that his things had been gone through? That a dirty uncouth ruffian was wearing such a prized treasure? Where was the glaring and the punches and the handcuffs? Where were the handcuffs?

"You're not mad?" His mouth blurted out. Sano slapped his right hand over his traitorous mouth as he looked at the man, waiting for an explosion. Saitou merely shrugged a shoulder.

"I was when I stumbled across your body on the porch with the door wide open. The house was freezing by the way."

"But not now?" He asked cautiously. Saitou huffed and stood up in one rolling motion and Sanosuke noticed how the man's rumpled shirt rippled faintly as the muscles under it stretched and pulled. He felt his stomach tighten and his chest and cheeks heat slightly. He cursed himself and tried to force down the awful blush that was showing. Saitou, unaware of or ignoring Sano's plight, stretched and twisted until his back gave a crack that made him flinch.

"Getting old, cricket man?" Sano teased, grinning.

Saitou glared at him and Sano couldn't help but laugh. It proved to be a mistake however when his chest protested by turning the laugh into a full lunged cough. His chest rattled as he doubled over in an effort to lessen the pain but the cough continued and he couldn't catch his breath. He felt firm hands on his back, starting to massage circles into it, the heat from them unexpected in comparison to the cold silk against his skin.

After a while the coughs subsided and in their place was a deep ache that was slowly cheating him of his energy. He was tired now, his head starting to lull to the side and he absentmindedly began rubbing his chest, mimicking the motion of the hands still at his back.

"Come on, Ahou. Let's get you inside." He said with gentleness that Sano had thought him incapable of.

Saitou helped Sanosuke stand, steadied him when the younger man swayed, and held him up when his legs started to give. Sano rested his heavy head on Saitou's shoulder and sighed at the warmth found there.

Saitou's pulse quickened and he felt a hitch in his chest as Sanosuke sighed into his neck, warm breath ghosting over exposed skin. His eyes closed involuntarily as the two stood there on the porch, the sun gone and the air biting. The heat from the slighter man's body against his sent small thrums of pleasure jumping through him and he bit back a groan as Sanosuke pressed further into him.

After a few more moments he pulled the brunette around to his side, arm about his waist to keep him there, and slowly started to guide him inside. He held tighter as he felt the other's grip start to falter and looked up to measure the distance to his bedroom. The door was several feet away and the rooster was quickly becoming dead weight.

"Ahou, I'm going to have to carry you." Saitou spoke into the brown hair at his left. He was rewarded with a weary nod of the head and Saitou counted that as a victory. He stopped their movement and swung the sick rooster up into his arms, unsettled by how little the young man weighed. He started forward and carried the rooster down the hall to his room, nudging the door open with his foot and sliding through the opening.

He glared at the folded up futon that sat against the wall, cursing his habit of tidying up every morning before leaving for work. He looked around and carefully placed the rooster on the floor so he could fetch the futon. He laid it out closer to the fireplace and turned around to collect the Ahou and snorted when he caught sight of him. He had stretched out on the floor and was softly snoring, drool already forming at the corner of his mouth. The kimono had ridden up to his calves and was creasing a little; he'd have to slip it off before it was damaged.

He walked over to the sleeping Ahou and gently picked him up, carefully laid him on the soft futon, and put his head down on the pillow tenderly. His fingers rested on the golden obi as he took in the sight of Sanosuke sleeping on his bed and he had to admit, if only to himself, that it was something he could accept easily enough.

Saitou reached forward and with both hands turned the knot of the obi to the front and undid it. When it was placed aside he opened the kimono and gently pulled Sanosuke up against his chest. The sleeping man didn't stir and Saitou slowly drew his arms out. He laid the other back down and lifted his hips enough to slide the silk out from under him, putting that to the side as well. With Sanosuke clad in only the hiyoku he gathered the clothes and set them out of the way for later. He grabbed the futon's covers from by the cupboard and sauntered back to his charge. The rooster was curled towards the fire and Saitou huffed when the young man spread out over two-thirds of the bed.

"Looks like I'm sleeping somewhere else." He mumbled as the blankets spread out evenly over the rooster who yawned once before stilling again.

Saitou stood and watched Sanosuke sleep for a while before looking up at the mantle and the sword that rested there. He remained that way until the logs in the fireplace cracked and he lightly ran his fingers over the nicks on the damaged sheath and softly hummed a note or two.

Saitou stepped back and turned to collect the spare futon from the guest room. He slipped through the doorway and glanced back at the sword once before padding away into the dark hallway, Sano's soft snores echoing faintly behind him.

"Good night, Okita-kun."


	18. Chapter 18

Hey everyone! Here is a new chapter.

I would just like to thank a wonderful author who has been kind enough to look over my work and offer great critisism. Without them my lastest chapters wouldn't be as good as they are.

So thank you kuroiyousei! (FYI: If you're looking for more S/S, read kuroiyousei's work... if you haven't already)

SaitouLover

* * *

Sanosuke woke to filtered sunshine across his face and the smell of old cigarettes. He turned over, away from the window, and pulled the cover over his eyes, hoping to get a bit more rest. Breathing deeply, he tried to fall back asleep, but began to cough roughly as he got a lungful of stale cigarette.

His eyes watered as his still-sore chest heaved under the pressure of the coughs and the pain slowly built within it. He pulled the cover away from his face and gripped the futon with white knuckles until the sharp coughs died away and the stabbing hurt faded to a constant dull throbbing ache.

He felt the chill air of the room touch his skin, and it cooled the glistening tracks that had formed down his temples. He reached a trembling hand up and brushed away the wetness there and grimaced, hating how weak he was. This sickness had robbed him of what little energy he'd had left after months of stress and his growing exhaustion for Japan, and now he was drained.

He was a frail and pathetic thing that had to depend upon the strength and determination of others to see him safely through the day- others like Saitou, who was definitely a strong and determined man.

Sano unclenched his other hand from the futon and brought both of the trembling appendages to his chest, twining them together and laying them down gently. His eyes closed with a small tired flutter as he forced a thin level of calm; he concentrated on his slowing heartbeat as it thumped out through bone and flesh, pulsing gently against the palms and fingers splayed above it.

The regular beat was soothing, and Sano looked up at the wooden beams above him, trying not to think about anything in particular and idly touching the nagajuban he was wearing. The room was cold, the fire having died out late in the night, and the quiet of the house was a bit disconcerting. He slowly turned onto his side again and looked at the wall.

He wondered where Saitou was; it was mid-morning and the man, a sheer workaholic if there ever was one, had no work to slink off to. What could he be doing? Was he even here in the house, or was Sano alone? The thought of being by himself in this house wasn't really a pleasant one. He didn't like being alone.

His tossing and turning in the night had pulled at the belt of his robe and had loosened it. His chest was exposed, and he absentmindedly reached up to pull the nagajuban closed to ward off the cold air.

The fabric was soft beneath his fingers, and it served to ground him. He glanced around at what he could see from his position, and caught the blue and gold of the kimono he had stolen from Saitou the day before sitting on a chair in the corner of the room by the closed door. Saitou had obviously undressed him last night, and the thought of those callused hands on his sleeping body wasn't nearly as disturbing to him as he knew it should be.

What Saitou was to him was quickly becoming a convoluted mess in his mind. The haphazardly rolled ball of feelings and impressions was being unwound by unwelcome contemplation and then twisted into knots, the fraying ends breaking with each new facet of the man shown to him.

The unstable vision that he'd had of Saitou Hajime had been splintering for weeks now, delicate fissures appearing at unsuitable moments to break away the foundation of dislike and contempt that he had for him. Now, it was as if a hammer had been taken to that fragile base, bashing against it with devastating force and utterly shattering it along those breaches.

Saitou wasn't the man he had always thought him to be, and he was unnerved to have been so wrong. He felt unsure without one of the only stable things in his life, and he didn't know what was going to happen now that he was floating in limbo without that anchor tying him down.

He had always reassured himself with a few secure convictions. Material things could be taken, but if he bound himself to something incorporeal, an assured truth, his world was less likely to fall apart around him. It was a coping mechanism he had developed when everything had fallen apart so completely, when nothing and no one had helped him.

Saitou Hajime had been an unchanging, dislikeable bastard who had disliked him just as much, and that belief, no matter how perverse the logic, had served to fix Sano in place, to keep him in Tokyo far longer than he felt comfortable with.

Now there were fractures in the stable foundation on which he'd been standing, and Sano felt as if one good push could topple him over, could send him plummeting down to hard ground without one of the only cushions he had to fall upon. He feared that fall would destroy the barrier that he'd hastily built as a child and it would free something horrid, something that had been patiently waiting to rush in with jagged teeth and blood-laced breath.

What was going to happen to him now? Was he stuck here in Saitou's home while the murderer was out killing lookalikes? His apartment wasn't safe; bags with bleeding hearts outside doors proved that. He couldn't go back there, so where would he go after the killer was caught? Was Tokyo even an option anymore?

He gazed around Saitou's bedroom and started to come to the bitter conclusion that it wasn't. Being here, merely existing with the meager life he had forged halfheartedly wasn't enough for him now. He wanted more, more than simple Sagara Sanosuke's life could offer.

He was tired of bar brawls and gambling losses and alcohol. He wanted something more than a crappy apartment that could never be home and a group of friends that only tolerated him. Sanosuke wanted belonging. He wanted a home, someone who understood him, who connected with him on a level that went past placation.

He'd had enough of well-meaning do-gooders and bossy misses and kids who fucking idolized him for stupid damn reasons. He had stupidly cast himself in the role of naive hanger-on, and, worse yet, allowed himself to become wedged into it so far that it would take a crowbar to get him out - and he was tired of it.

He sighed and rolled his shoulders, testing for pain, and was pleased to note that barely any remained. Bracing himself against the chilly air, Sano slowly pushed the cover back. He stood up on the mattress to avoid the cold floor and looked for his sandals, hoping that Saitou had left them out in the open; he really didn't want to go snooping again.

Focused on not touching cold wood as he scanned the room, he missed the padding of steps in the hallway and the soft shick of the door sliding open. Sano made a soft aha as he spotted the wooden shoes beside the dead fireplace and wondered how he was supposed to get to them without freezing his toes off in the process.

"What are you doing?" Saitou's amused question sent Sano spinning around, feet tangling up in the sheets and almost sending him down onto the mattress. Sano opened his mouth to curse at the older man, but stopped when he caught sight of him. In a dark brown kimono, his feet clad in wooden sandals, Saitou was leaning against the doorway and looking at him with a raised eyebrow, smirking slightly. Sano shot a glare at the other and felt a brief blush for being caught acting a little silly.

"I'm tryin' to get my sandals, bastard." He crossed his arms defensively. "The floor's cold and I don't wanna freeze my feet off."

Saitou's mouth twitched once and Sano had a feeling he was trying not to smile. He stood straight and crossed over to the fireplace while his guest turned to watch him. He bent over, and Sano felt himself blushing a bit brighter when he realized he was admiring the view. He looked away quickly before the older man turned back to him with sandals in hand. He walked over to Sano and placed the wooden shoes on the ground in front of the futon so the stranded young man could step into them.

Sano glowered at the man briefly but gave in. He raised his right foot, and the cover that was still tangled around it was pulled out from under his left, causing him to lose his balance. He stumbled, and Saitou's hand darted out to catch him at the elbow, calluses on ungloved skin evident through thin cotton.

He caught his balance and shook off the offending blankets, daring Saitou to laugh as he stepped into the shoes. But Saitou didn't laugh; instead he frowned down at where he still held Sano at the elbow.

"You're cold, Ahou?" he asked him, surprised. "It's not that freezing in here."

Sano shook his arm out of Saitou's grip self-consciously and stepped past him, closer to the door in order to put some space between them. He crossed his arms and turned his head to look at Saitou over his shoulder.

"I get cold easier now and then," he said in a voice roughened with embarrassment, watching as Saitou narrowed his eyes.

"You were outside for hours yesterday," the other said accusingly. "You didn't seem to be cold then."

"I said now and then," he shot back, irritation rising. "It comes and goes. It usually happens when I'm sick or stressed."

"Again ahou, outside for hours… in the cold… while you're still sick."

"Or stressed!"

"Hm." Saitou observed him acutely, and Sano shifted uncomfortably, knowing he should have blamed being cold on his sickness. Now Saitou had a bone and he wasn't likely to let go of it until it was good and worried.

"Stressed, hm?" Saitou examined his left hand and casually cleaned invisible dirt from under his middle nail with his thumb. He looked back to Sanosuke with an uninterested glance.

"I can understand why you're stressed: the business with that heart and all."

Acrid bile threatened to rise in Sano's throat as vivid memories of that day burst into his mind. His eyes snapped shut and he took deep breaths to avoid throwing up his empty stomach. Bloody bags and mutilated hearts filled his vision and Sano couldn't get rid of them. His chest tightened and he felt a bit dizzy suddenly.

He knew he had to calm down, that he shouldn't be panicking over this when he was here with Saitou, but it didn't help when he remembered finding that bag lying outside his door and opening it. It didn't help when all he could see was the blood and the gore and the fucking note.

"Rooster!"

Rough hands grabbed his shoulders and shook him once, hard. He met Saitou's golden gaze and found worry there. That Saitou would be worried about him, for him, was startling enough to help shock him out of this early stage of his attack.

He clutched at Saitou's right bicep and took a few deep breaths, working to smooth out the hitches in his chest. Saitou gripped his shoulders tighter and kept his gaze locked with Sano's, not looking away until the younger man's breathing was calm again.

Sano nodded to the older man when he felt the trouble was past and wouldn't return unexpectedly. Saitou let go of his shoulders but didn't step back. He watched Sano carefully, eyes roving over him, looking for anything that would hint at another panic attack. He seemed to realize that Sano was fine, and he narrowed his eyes in irritation.

"That was one of your panic attacks that Chou warned me about," he said reproachfully, as if Sano'd had an attack on purpose.

"Go to hell," Sano hissed pulling away from Saitou, fuming and suddenly very angry with the man in front of him. He turned towards the door to leave, but was pulled back as Saitou seized his shoulder with a hard hand.

"Let go!" Sano yelled at him, shoving ineffectually at Saitou's arm, trying to break his grip.

Saitou held on and yanked him closer, away from the door.

"No," the swordsman said as he jerked his head aside to avoid Sano's flying fist.

His hand slipped down to grip the young man's bicep and spun him around so that Sano's back was pulled up against his own chest. Saitou wrapped his arms around Sano, effectively pinning him and waited until his spitting and hissing rooster grew tired and was breathing harshly in his arms. The body pressed up against him was warm, and Saitou couldn't help but notice how well it molded to fit his.

Sano went limp and Saitou tightened his grip so the rooster wouldn't fall.

"Let go." The younger man ordered weakly.

"No."

Sano began to tremble slightly and Saitou gently turned the rooster to face him. He pushed Sano's head down under his chin and wrapped his arms around the young man in a loose embrace, gazing over soft brown hair but barely taking in details of the room beyond.

Sano's hands came up to grasp at his chest, and the two stood there in the quiet of the room as the rooster trembled in warm arms.

* * *

It was close to noon when Sano felt strong enough to drag himself from Saitou's bedroom. The house was quiet, the empty feeling making the stillness heavy, and to Sano it felt like wading through stiff molasses. He padded down the hallways until he reached the kitchen's closed door, and there he paused.

After Saitou had released him (once Sano had stopped shuddering like a pathetic girl), he'd told him to come out for lunch whenever he was ready. Then, when the older man had gone, Sano, his face lighting up like a sunset, had run his hands through his hair in embarrassment, making the brown disorder even worse. Had Saitou really essentially just _hugged_him until he felt better?

But now the reassuring smell of cooked chicken filled the air, and Sano smiled as he inhaled it; he had never pictured Saitou as much of a cook.

The door slid back before he was ready, and the man who'd opened it stepped aside so Sano could enter. Sano's nerves tightened, but, never having been a coward, he pushed them down, raised his head, and walked past Saitou into the room.

Saitou had been busy. The table was covered with food, one counter was hidden under dirty bowls and raw ingredients, chicken was frying on the stove, and nearby was an extra pan full of rice. Sano suddenly felt overwhelmed and inadequate in the face of such ability.

"Sit, rooster."

At the command and the sound of the door sliding closed behind him, Sano looked back. Saitou moved around him to check on the chicken, let out a _hm_, and grabbed a plate to tilt the finished product onto. The poultry steamed as he made his way back to the table, pushing aside a bowl of noodles to make room.

He sat down on a cushion gracefully, one fluid motion that showed a ridiculous amount of poise and deportment, and waited for Sano to sit as well. The brunette closed his slightly-open jaw and plopped down on the other cushion clumsily, wincing as his outstretched arms knocked against the plates and bowls on the full table, sending bits of food falling to the tabletop.

"You sure made enough." A plate thumped as Sano quickly moved his hand off its edge.

"You eat enough."

Saitou's insult rolled off of Sano as the young man looked over the dishes presented. His mouth watered, and he reached forward for a rice ball before Saitou's lack of permission to eat registered. His stomach growled but he stopped himself from looking any more like of a gluttonous pig and looked up at the older man. Seeing Saitou's amused expression, Sano frowned.

"What?" he asked defensively.

"Nothing, rooster." The man's smirk widened. "I find your unending hunger entertaining. One  
would think you're just one large stomach."

Sano snatched the rice ball and bit into it in retaliation. Saitou's smirk stayed firmly in place as he picked up the bowl in front of him. The two began to eat, Sano clinking against bowls of rice or broth as he reached for cooked fish or chicken and Saitou slurping away at noodles. The brunette moved steadily through the food, but Saitou remained stationary over his single bowl.

"Hey, is that all you're going to have?" the brunette asked incredulously.

Saitou nodded once as he sucked the noodles off the chopsticks and into his mouth in one long pull. Sano wet his lips as he watched the last of them disappear past thin lips, and managed to catch the calculating glimmer as it vanished from golden eyes. He pushed aside the improper images that rose and felt annoyance. He glared at the older man but didn't call him on his slightly impish behavior.

"What is that?" he asked instead.

"Soba."

"Soba? You're eating plain soba?"

"Yes."

Sano looked at the food that still covered the table between them.

"You made all this and you're eating soba."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I enjoy it," the policeman answered simply.

"Then why make all this?" He waved his hand at the table.

"I didn't know what you would like." Saitou turned the bowl slightly and dipped his chopsticks into the broth.

Sano sat back in surprise. He looked from Saitou to the table and back again, thinking about that. Saitou made over a half-dozen dishes because he didn't know what Sano would like? It was difficult to believe, but the labor that Saitou had put into lunch was obvious, even to an idiot like Sanosuke. Sano watched Saitou continue to turn the bowl in small increments, pick out small bits of noodle and eat them.

The brunette realized with a sharp burst of clarity that the man in front of him was nervous.

This noodle search was the wolf's form of fidgeting!

Sano felt giggles blossom in his chest, but held them back behind slightly quivering lips. When the bowl was empty Saitou stared at it disappointedly before setting it down on the table with a soft clunk. The chopsticks were laid beside it and he reached for the tea kettle to fill his empty cup.

Sano watched silently and felt heat fill him, spread outwards and warm his limbs for the first time that day. It was hard to keep the blush from showing, but he managed. Sano fiddled with his own chopsticks before bowing his head slightly.

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Saitou," he said softly.

Saitou glanced at him over the cup pressed to his lips in expertly-feigned nonchalance. Then he pulled the cup away and ran his finger around the rim once, wiping away the drops of tea. Silence descended and Sano went back to eating, proud of himself for thanking the man.

"You're welcome."

The heat inside of him grew and he ducked his head sheepishly. Seeking something else to focus on, he looked to the other side of the kitchen, where his gaze landed on a pot set in a back corner.

"What's that?"

"Nothing for you," Saitou answered promptly.

Sano looked back at the cop. The man was glaring at his cup, and Sanosuke's curiosity rose. He slowly got up from the table and made his way toward the item. Saitou stood as well, and growled at the young man as he inched closer to the pot.

"Ahou, you leave that be," he snarled.

Sano sped up and made it to his goal before Saitou could overcome his forgetfulness and realize he was the stronger and quicker of the two of them. He glanced in just as the older man pulled him away, and laughed as the sight of noodles registered.

"Soba! You have an entire pot of soba. God, you made it seem like it was filled with gold or something."

He turned his head to look at the swordsman holding him back, and smiled innocently. "I'm still hungry, though, and I have a feeling that you wouldn't have shared before if I asked you to. But now that I know you have an entire pot of the stuff…"

"It is not _stuff_," Saitou corrected immediately and frowned. "You can't have any. It's mine."

Sano laughed at the childish tone, and couldn't help but make a swipe at Saitou's secret stash. The officer darted between him and the pot and snarled as he pushed him back slightly. Sano laughed harder, but obeyed Saitou's unspoken order to back away from the noodles. He felt his cheeks hurt from smiling too widely, and wiped away rogue tears.

"You made all that food so I wouldn't go after your nasty soba, didn't you," he taunted.

"It is not _nasty_."

"I notice that wasn't a denial," he prodded teasingly.

Saitou glared, and Sano laughed again.

"Alright, alright, I'll leave you noodles alone."

Saitou glowered at him mistrustfully, so Sano held his hands up in surrender and moved back to the table; there, he made a show of sitting down, grabbing a chunk of chicken, and popping it into his mouth.

He smiled as the lanky officer glanced once more at the pot behind him before coming back to the table as well. He glared at Sano for good measure and sipped at his tea in prissy silence.

Sano started laughing again.

* * *

Lunch was finished, and Sano helped Saitou wash the dishes and put away the extra food. He was careful to avoid the pot of soba in the corner, and felt snickers bubble up whenever he caught Saitou give it a brief glance as if to make sure it was still there.

When the cleanup was done Sano looked around the kitchen awkwardly, unsure of what to do next.

He watched Saitou wipe his hands off on a towel, and his stomach dropped when the older man turned to him with a serious expression.

"We need to talk, Ahou."

"No, we don't," Sano said quickly.

He cast about desperately for a diversion, and found one just in time to override whatever Saitou had been starting to say.

"Shouldn't we finish? People always think you're rude if you don't eat all the food they made for you."

"Does either of us really care about other people's impressions of us?"

Saitou allowed the change of topic and shrugged once, the brown kimono rippling slightly over strong shoulders. Sanosuke thought about it.

It was true that he didn't really care what others thought about his manners. He had been taught that you ate your fill and no more, no matter how rude it might seem. If you pushed yourself, then you would regret it and wind up right back to where you started; with nothing.

Adam was a man of discipline, and had sought to instill some of that into his young ward as well. It had taken several failed binge eating attempts before he had realized that Sanosuke didn't know how to take care of himself in this respect. The boy would eat alone in his room, and would devour as much food as possible in the shortest amount of time - which led, of course, to his throwing it all back up.

A week into Sano's installment in the household, he was still starving, now even more tortuously than before. He had the food, could eat as much of it as he wanted, but couldn't keep it down. Adam found him in his room beside the latest mess, clutching his recently-emptied belly and sobbing uncontrollably. He'd picked the small boy up and carried him to his own chamber, laying him down on the western-style bed before asking Sarah to clean up the minor disaster Sanosuke had left behind

Adam sat down on the soft mattress beside the still-sobbing and curled-up boy. His hand ran over ribs prominent even through Sano's shirt and up to the back of the boy's head, cupping it. The sobbing slowed, and Sanosuke groaned in misery. The tears stilled, and after a while, when his cheeks were stiff with their dried remains, Sano quieted completely.

Adam had stayed at his side, and, when Heather brought a new tray of food into the room, carried Sano to one of the chairs at the table. Then Adam had held him as he ate, forcing Sanosuke to pace himself so as not to become sick. For the first time, Sano had eaten his fill and stayed full. Afterwards he had leaned back against Adam's chest and closed his eyes with a small smile.

Sano dragged himself from the memory and looked at Saitou. The man reminded him of Adam in some incomprehensible way. He couldn't determine what it was about the officer that seemed similar, but Sano felt safe in the older man's presence. If he had to guess, he'd say that it was the man's indifference to others' opinions.

Saitou did things the way he wanted and never spared time to worry about the reactions from the people around him. He did what he thought was best because it was the right thing to do, not the easiest or most profitable.

But Saitou was a good actor when he felt it necessary. The feigned politeness, the servile graciousness, the fucking smile were all facets that the swordsman skillfully crafted from the expectations of the people around him. Saitou would be whatever he needed to be whenever he needed to be it, and Sano remembered thinking that the man seemed more comfortable pretending to be someone other than who he really was.

Adam had been the same way for the first few months after he had taken Sanosuke in. He had been distant and many times harsh to the child he had plucked out of Japan's gutters, yet the other members of Adam's household had touted him as a great and kind man. Sano had been in a constant state of confusion until his guardian had grown comfortable with his presence, and after that, he had learned that Adam Morris _was_ a great man. But he was also a complicated one.

Maybe it was also that same guardedness evident in Saitou that reminded Sanosuke of his past guardian. The two men did seem to have a common notion in that if no one really knew who you were than they and their opinions didn't matter and could go to hell.

"No," Sano finally answered the man's question. "I guess we don't care about what other people think."

Saitou stared at him for a moment before moving towards the door. Sano watched him leave in slight confusion, but didn't speak up. Saitou would explain his departure if he felt it was necessary.

"I need to run down to the market for some things. I will be gone for a couple of hours at most. Be here when I get back, rooster." The police officer slid the door open before turning back to look at him.

Sano frowned, and felt a flash of irritation, which he pushed away. Saitou hadn't sounded like he was trying to provoke him, so he bit his tongue and nodded. He listened as Saitou's footsteps headed for the front door and exited. When the man was gone he smiled in relief, and decided to explore the house now that there was no one to stop him. He stopped in the doorway before turning back around into the kitchen.

He made for the precious soba pot, into which he dipped a bowl he had grabbed along the way. He grinned at the noodle broth, and then slurped it down. After washing the bowl, he put it back in its place with a satisfied grin.

Now he was ready to go.


End file.
